It Happened Here
by Trevor the Enchanter
Summary: Amity Park is thrown into fear and chaos as buildings are wiped off the face of the earth. With the death toll rising, will even Danny Phantom be able to stop the wave of terror?
1. Wave of Terror

Let me warn you now: this is a very dark story. The action here is not meant to be enjoyed. This is just barely staying 'T' and I figured I would warn you in advance.

It deals with a very serious topic, which will be pretty obvious as the story goes on. It's kind of slow, but gets VERY dark.

"Look, why exactly did you drag me here?" Travis Pinkard complained to his friend as he surveyed the nightclub. "This isn't exactly the kind of place I feel comfortable in."

"Come on, buddy." Josh Douglas told his friend, drinking down a shot of whiskey. "I'm sure we can find you a girl somewhere. Who knows? Maybe you can even get lucky."

"Damn it, Josh, I'd rather have a real relationship, not some stupid one-night stand." He protested.

"Yeah, and how that's working out for you? You've been complaining that girls don't like you. You're 24 years old; you need to find someone and this seems a good place to start. Besides, any girlfriends you find are going to want a guy with experience… like me."

"Or maybe it's because you're attractive and I'm not. Take a look at me; why would they be interested?"

"Loosen up a bit and have fun, ok? I know that's a strange concept, but give it a shot. You might even enjoy yourself."

"Yeah, except for the fact I'm going deaf!" Indeed, Travis was right. He could barely even hear his friend and he was standing right next to him. Josh quickly went off to chat up girls.

Travis shook his head; he knew his friend was trying to help, but he wished he had chosen a better way to do it. He sat down on one of the stools and ordered a Pepsi. Some of the bystanders laughed, but he was used to that. _Someone's got to keep that idiot from getting himself killed. _He sighed.

Time went by and while he was able to talk to women, Travis was still sitting alone. Josh, on the other hand, had the attention of the whole club. "Well, at least he's having a good time." Travis stated. Time was passing very slowly for him.

"Want company?" A woman asked. Travis nodded in surprise and she sat beside him. "Don't know why I even agreed to come here."

"Same here." Travis chuckled. "I've just been drinking Pepsi all night. My friend dragged me here in an effort to find a woman for me."

"Well, I just got out of a relationship and my friends dragged me here in an effort to cheer me up." She replied. "My name's Barbara, by the way."

"Travis," He extended his hand and she shook it, looking at him.

"There are plenty of guys here, but none I'm really interested in. I swear, 4 guys so far asked me if I wanted to sleep with them. One was actually trying to feel me up."

"Hey, men are pigs; I am one, so I'm know what I'm talking about. Josh dragged me here kicking and screaming. Have to admit, I'm 24 and I've never had a girlfriend in my life."

"I don't see why. You seem like a nice guy."

"And you seem like a decent girl; that guy made a big mistake when he dumped. My name's Travis, the grand master of dumb jokes. Keep in mind I did not say good jokes."

Barbara laughed and smiled. "You're probably the only guy here that isn't trying to get into my pants. This isn't exactly my scene."

"Mine either, but my friend was trying to help. You'll see him over there with girls swooning over him. You look nice, by the way." Travis cringed, waiting for her reaction.

"Thanks, Travis; so do you. Why are you nervous?"

"Usually when I compliment a girl, they freak out. I'm a bit different, so I scare them."

"I don't see it, but those girls are stupid. You're a great guy."

"Thanks; have to admit, this is still better than the last time Josh tried to set me up. I thought her brother was going to break me in half."

"Well, my friends don't do that unless I ask."

"Lucky Bitch," he joked and she laughed again. Suddenly, he was nearly blinded by a dark red light. Most people in the club stopped dancing and stared. "You have any idea what…" Before he finished, there was a giant explosion and everything went black.

X X X X X X X X X X

"Danny, get up." Jazz urged. "You're going to be late for school!" She went into the bathroom, grabbed a damp wash rag and rubbed it on his face. Danny groaned, rolling over but slowly getting up.

"Come on, Jazz, I just got to sleep." Danny complained. "I spent half the night chasing Skulker around and then the Box Ghost showed up."

"I know, Danny, but you're running late as it is. Lancer will kill you if you're tardy again. Come on, I'll give you a ride."

He rubbed his eyes and walked down to the kitchen, getting a bowl of cereal. After he finished, he changed clothes and they were just about to leave when they saw Jack and Maddie watching the television intently.

"Danny, come over here!" Jack exclaimed. "You need to see this."

Danny and Jazz followed, wondering what was going on. Anything that could distract them from ghost hunting had to be big.

"So far, the authorities have not found any survivors." the reporter stated. "Although they are not sure of the cause, the evidence they have found suggested foul play. Witness reports from people outside the nightclub say…"

"What is all this about?" asked Jazz.

"It looks like this is another terrorist attack." Jack told them in a worried tone.

"For those of you that are just tuning in, we repeat, a local nightclub in downtown Amity was literally wiped out of existence last night by a sudden burst of flame. Authorities have not yet figured out what the cause is, but the fire chief we had spoken to earlier today had stated that they suspect it may have been deliberately caused."

"We never thought it could happen in this city." Maddie sighed as the reporter continued her summary. "I didn't like to think this could happen again in this country, but I was wrong. We've got a major ghost problem, but terrorists?"

"How do we know they were terrorists?" Jazz intervened. "We'd better not start wild speculation until we know more about this."

"Think about it, Jazz." Jack informed. "A sudden burst of flame, no survivors found, no 911 call; it was like an explosions. Ghost love to terrify and menace, but they usually don't kill."

"Dad, we better get to school." Danny intervened before Jazz could argue. She drove to school in silence and Danny thought it best not to so anything until they got there.

Once they arrived, everyone was in groups, talking about the same thing. Tucker and Sam ran up to the siblings. "Hey, guys, did you hear what happened?" Tucker asked.

"I know; my parents are watching it on the news." Danny sighed. "It looks like I'm going to have to spend more time patrolling, trying to find whoever or whatever did this."

"It's terrible, but maybe we shouldn't jump to conclusions too quickly." Sam cautioned. "This could be an accident or some crazy arsonist."

"You might be right, but even so, I don't feel like taking chances." Danny responded. He rubbed his eyes, trying to keep them open. "We'd better get to class. I'll see you later, Jazz."

But inside class, none of the teachers were able to get their student's attention. All of them were talking about the incident and each of them had their own different theories. Even the ones that attempted to instruct the teenagers did so halfheartedly.

Only Mr. Lancer acted like nothing had happened. Everyone he caught talking about the incident were sent to detention, which meant almost the whole class were punished by the end of the day. That is, ironically, except for our favorite trio.

As they and Jazz walked into the Fenton house, they were startled to see a strange man there. Danny pushed them behind him and got into a fighting position. He turned around and Danny got a good look at him.

He had black hair, blue eyes, and was over 6 feet tall with a muscular frame. The man was wearing casual clothes, a white shirt and black pants. However, perhaps the most obvious feature was that the left side of his face was horribly scarred. It was little more than a mixture of bruises and burns.

"I take it you're Danny Fenton." He finally spoke in a raspy voice. "This must be Jasmine, Tucker Foley, and Samantha Manson."

"How do you know who we are?" Danny demanded, stepping forward and getting ready to transform. "What did you do to my parents?"

"Hey, Danny!" Jack greeted. "I see you're finally home. Let me introduce you to Davis Seriza, an old friend. He's going to be staying with us for a while! Davis, these kids are…"

"I know; your son, daughter, and their friends." Davis replied. "They fit the description you gave me, Jack."

"Who is this guy?"

"He was my student after me and Maddie got married." Jack smiled. "He was eager to learn about ghosts and I taught him everything I know! Come on, let me show you around the house. I can't wait to show you the lab!"

"That guy seems pretty creepy to me." Tucker remarked when they were out of earshot. "I'm not sure we can trust this guy."

"I'll keep an eye on him, but let's not write him as a villain yet." Danny replied. "We don't know anything about him."

"I saw a real haunted look in his eyes." Jazz thought to herself. "He's definitely been through some terrible things."

"A nightclub was wiped out of existence and the next day, he shows up." Sam declared. "This can't be a coincidence. There could be a connection."

"It saddens me whenever I think about him." Jazz shook her head. "It looks almost like Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder. Maybe I can help him; I'm not a psychologist yet, but even so."

"They're coming back; not now." Danny cut her off. Jack, Maddie, and Davis walked into the kitchen. Jack started cooking, while Maddie tried to start conversation.

"Why don't you introduce yourself to them?" Maddie asked. Davis extended his hand, but all of them were too nervous to take it. Davis looked at them intently, but said nothing. "Kids, that's rude."

When Jack finished cooking steaks, they all started to eat. Sam, of course, refused to eat it, but Jack predicted this and gave her a plate of oranges and grapes. She nodded in respect and started gulping down the food like the others. Tucker of course, eat everything he could, as did Jack.

"So Davis, what are you doing back here?" Jack asked in between bites. "It's been years since we've seen. How have you been doing?" Davis stared at him silently, making it an awkward situation. "And why haven't you dominated the conversation? You're the only one that was ever able to out-talk me! Good times, good times…."

"What did you think of our work?" Maddie smiled. "We even managed to make a working ghost portal. Of course, at first it didn't work, but our son Danny fixed it for us! He's a great kid." Davis turned to Danny, who smiled nervously. "You made any new discoveries? When we last heard you, you were so excited about achieving some sort of breakthrough."

After that, Davis left the table without warning and sat down on the couch, staring into space. "What is with him?" Tucker asked with his mouth full, while Sam gagged in disgust.

"I don't know; he never used to be like this." Maddie thought. "He's really a great guy, just… kind of different." They ate the rest of their meal in silence. Once they were done, Jack and Maddie went back to their lab to tinker with various devices. Sam and Tucker left as well, since it was nearing nightfall.

Danny waited until nobody was around then transformed into Phantom, intending to investigate what was going on in Amity Park.

Little did he realize he was being watched.

X X X X X X X X X X

It was a typical patrol. Several ghosts were flying around and he sucked them into the Fenton Thermos, which he thankfully remembered this time around. After a couple of hours, he decided to go to sleep.

That is, until he saw an explosion in the distance. He flew down to see what was going on and saw another ruined building, flames covering everything. The fire department had arrived with hoses, but it was still too dangerous for anyone to go in even with protective clothing.

Danny decided to act. He fired ice blasts all around the building, which melted immediately but helped the firemen put out the blaze. Once it was under control, he flew inside to see what he could do to help. When he got there, he stared open-mouthed at the destruction.

It was obviously a restaurant before the explosion. Danny cringed at the scent of burnt flesh, but forced himself to continue. He saw a family sitting at a table, horribly burned, with the father's mouth open. They were reduced almost to skeletons.

He looked everywhere and saw the same thing; not a single person survived. Danny was tempted to leave, but he heard a faint grown. He sprinted over, hoping there was at least one person he could save. He saw a woman, most of her body burned and her flesh little more than glowing red. "I'll get you help; don't worry." He picked her up as gently as he could manage.

"Light… flash of red light." She gasped out and collapsed. He tried to revive her, but she was too far gone. Danny screamed in agony, trying to hold back tears. He flew away, trying everything he knew to get the images out of his head.

He flew home and collapsed onto a chair, mentally exhausted and transformed back into a human. After several moments, he saw the door open. It was Davis, silent and somber as ever.

"What were you doing out there?" Danny demanded accusingly.

"That's nothing you need to worry about." Davis replied and said no more, going to the guest room.

_Could he be behind all of this? _Danny wondered to himself. He didn't know when he fell asleep, but next thing he knew, it was morning.

Thankfully, school had been cancelled, so he could sleep in. When he awoke for good, it was nearly noon and his parents were still watching the news, describing the latest attack. Davis was there as well, bowing his head.

"What happened now?" Danny asked, although he was already well aware. Now that his mind was regaining consciousness, images of the woman burned into his mind once again.

"There's no information, nothing." Maddie stated in fear. "All they found were small traces of a mysterious substance. This could be caused by a ghost."

"Very possible," Davis agreed quietly. "I hope we can stop whatever this is before he does this again." He got up and left, leaving the Fentons shocked.

Before, the topic of discussion was just like gossip Danny had repeatedly heard in school, but now there was a voice of fear. They were afraid that they would be next, that their homes would be the ones reported on the news.

There was yet another strike that night, with the exact same signs. Except this time, there was a survivor. A 5-year-old girl was found by police and rushed to the hospital. Apparently the father had protected her from death with his own body, covering her. Danny bowed his head in respect to the bravery to the unknown man.

He spent more time than ever as Danny Phantom, trying to find whoever was responsible. The death toll was now close to 100 and there was every reason to believe that it could keep rising, especially if there were more attacks.

Even after a sleepless night, he found nothing, but this time, there was nothing but silence. No explosions, no more fatalities…for the moment. Around midnight, he bumped into something during his flight. He quickly recovered and saw Vlad Plasmius.

"What are you doing here, Vlad?" Danny snarled.

"Probably the same thing you are, Daniel: attempting to find what is behind the attacks." Vlad replied. "I have various sources of my own, and based on their descriptions, the small particles they have found at each of these sites is ectoplasm. A ghost is responsible for this terrorism."

"And how do I know the ghost isn't you?" Danny demanded, firing ecto-blasts, hitting Vlad in the chest. Before he could follow with a punch, Vlad caught his arm and threw him aside.

"Be reasonable, Daniel! I have nothing to gain from this kind of terror. This is my city and I am responsible for its safety. I am not a hero the way you are, but I would not take part in cold-blooded murder."

"Whatever you say, fruit loop."

"Like it or not, Daniel, you are going to need my help. This ghost, whoever it is, is very powerful, far beyond what you can do. True, you might be able to destroy buildings, but not so quickly or without leaving any survivors. In all honesty, his power is greater than mine as well, so we will need to work together."

"Fine, Plasmius, but I still don't trust you or that person that showed up at our house the other day, Davis Seriza."

"Seriza? I didn't know he was here."

"You know him?"

"This is something I will have to look into. Until next time, little badger." Vlad flew up, leaving Danny in shock.

With mounting causalities, the public demanded action be taken. The national guard had been called in, as were the FBI and GIW. Danny knew it was now more risky to patrol at night, but he decided to do so anyway. However, he was still unable to find even a truce of their mysterious enemy, but he was more suspicious of Seriza than ever.

He was often found pacing around in the middle of the night, obviously nervous about something. When Danny confronted him, he simply stayed silent, giving him the I-know-everything look he was used to from Vlad.

X X X X X X X X X X

Okay, men, we're here to find and destroy the responsible party!" The commander of the GIW told his soldiers. "Of course, he is most likely a ghost. Are all your weapons loaded?" When they answered affirmatively… "Let's go, men!"

They flew out on their jet sleds and other assorted machinery. Their ghost sensors soon picked up something nearby, and it was off the charts. They headed to the city limits of Amity, where the signal was pointing.

"We're going to make this thing pay for what he did!" one of the agents exclaimed furiously.

"They had the same thing happen on the east coast; we're not going to allow it here!" Another stated.

"Hey, I was actually there, and be grateful you don't know what you're talking about." a third said, this one a female.

The GIW saw someone walking along the road, heading into Amity. All their instruments pointed at it, so they heated their weapons and prepare to fire.

"Surrender, ghost! Or human…" The commander demanded. "We have you completely surrounded! Give up or be destroyed!"

He had dark hair, but with a green tint. Their instruments were going haywire, nearly malfunctioning. All of them aimed their weapons and set it to full power.

Then they turned around and all of them stared in shock.

Yeah, I had to end it right there. I hate cliffhangers when I read them, but when I'm the one writing, it's a whole different story. I've got the whole thing planned, 2 other chapters written.

I was originally going to wait to send this chapter out until I finished everything, but I thought it would be fitting, considering the topic of this story. Again, this is a dark, angst-ridden, tragic novel, so consider yourself warned! It deals with a very real thing we have to deal with, and I got the idea watching one of my favorite movies. Let's see if you can figure out what it is.

Of course, please review. And let us never forget everyone who lost their lives on this tragic day and the heroes who risked and gave their lives trying to save them.


	2. Revelations and Debate

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and please keep sending them. Okay, this is when you really start to learn something about the ghost responsible.

And by the way, Miriam1, everyone at that nightclub in the opening scene is dead, so you won't be hearing from them again.

X X X X X X X X X X X

Danny continued patrolling in Amity Park. It had been unusually quiet that night. Not even the box ghost had shown up tonight. A few months ago, Danny would have been happy, but now he was experienced enough to realize that something was terribly wrong.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw several things speeding towards him fast. His hands charged with energy, he prepared to face whatever ghost was coming. However, as time went on, there were more and more headed his direction.

Just as Danny thought he was going to be overwhelmed, they sped right past him. It took him a moment to realize they weren't ghosts, but the guys in white. The fact they sped by him and didn't even notice he was there was unusual indeed.

"This looks like it's going to be unpleasant for us, Daniel." Vlad informed, flying next to him. "They were ordered to hunt down and destroy the ghost and while they are not what I call competent, they are persistent. What exactly can terrify them to such a degree?"

"It's not like I know!" Danny snapped. "I don't like feeling helpless!"

"Sorry, Daniel; I was musing to myself." Vlad rubbed his forehead. "At any rate, I have some information for you. Davis Sewiza is one of the top ghost researchers in the country, but a few years ago, he disappeared off the radar. No one knew where he was or what he was doing. There were all kinds of theories, from the sensible to the purely idiotic. After he came back, he looked like he does now."

"Could this be his doing?"

"You mean, could he be another ghost hybrid? Interesting theory, although I would be inclined to doubt it. I'm going to hold an impromptu meeting; I suggest you listen to it. It might answer some of our questions."

"Still can't believe I'm agreeing to this."

"Haven't you noticed that there is not a single ghost in Amity apart from us? They know this place is dangerous and are not willing to risk their existence."

"Yes, fruit loop, I've noticed."

"Follow me, Daniel. No tricks, not this time."

"If you're lying to me…"

"I've heard the speech before, Daniel. Now come on." Danny reluctantly followed, still wary for any tricks. He rubbed his eyes, trying to stay awake. It was nearly morning and he hadn't managed to get any sleep at all. They went inside city hall, where Vlad transformed back and Danny turned invisible.

"So what can you tell me?" Vlad asked the entering agents. "Have you destroyed the ghost?"

"Mr. Mayor, to put it simply, we didn't have a chance to fight back." The operative told him. "He took out a third of our agents in a matter of seconds. We… our weapons were ineffective, especially since only a few of us got off any shots. He was so powerful that our instruments started malfunctioning."

"How is that possible?" Vlad demanded.

"I don't know, Mr. Mayor. He moved so fast that we couldn't track him and we were in too much of a shock to do much fighting. Eventually, we decided to simply free for our lives. For some reason, he didn't follow us."

"Can you tell me anything useful, like what he looked like?"

"I'm really not sure I should say it."

"I'll be the judge of that. Now talk!"

"He looked like one of those Muslim terrorists we're at war with. I can't give anything real specific, but from what I saw of him, that was his appearance." After hearing that, Vlad dismissed him and called in other survivors. Everyone he asked afterwards gave different stories but a similar description.

"Well, Daniel, this definitely does not sound good." Vlad informed. "Go home, badger; and please keep a low profile for a while. This city is in a state of fear, and they will likely go after you, although this new threat is a higher priority."

"Why are you telling me this, Vlad?" Danny asked suspiciously. "And since when do you care what happens to me?"

"I want you to join me, Daniel, not be destroyed by those incompetent fools." Vlad explained. "Now go; I've got to call an important meeting." However, Danny had no intention to do so. Vlad made phone calls and called his staff, while our superhero rolled his eyes.

Within an hour, a tired, sleepy, and irritable committee had been formed. Vlad may have been corrupt, but he was never one to put with bureaucratic procedures. They spent over 2 hours debating on how to stop the ghost, and by the end, Danny was nearly ready to fall asleep. Vlad likely knew he was still there, but didn't do anything to raise the alarm.

"I propose that, for the moment, we keep the public in the dark." Vlad declared. "If they knew this ghost fits the description of a Muslim, although we can't be sure that he is one, it could cause instability due to the fact that world affairs are fragile enough as it is. Normally, I would not take such a step, but since we have no definite proof, we had better err on the side of caution. We don't know enough about what we're dealing with to make any kind of intelligent judgments."

"The public has a right to know!" one of them protested. "We can't keep this kind of thing quiet. I believe you exaggerate the dangers involved."

"Not a chance; this country has already suffered 3 devastating terrorist attacks." Another argued. "I highly doubt the public's relative benevolence will extend a second time. At any rate, we can't be sure that that's what he is." Danny raised his eyebrows; now this debate was starting to get interesting.

"Look, we've got to do something!" A third exclaimed. "The public is getting frightened and they should be. It's about time they see through the 'Islam is a religion of peace' crap."

"And that attitude is precisely the problem!" The first shouted at him. "We can't judge a whole group based on the actions of a few. It's this kind of Islamophobia that made them the scapegoats for our problems, courtesy of our last president!"

"Do you actually know anything about the religion? It states that there can only be peace when the entire planet is Islamic."

"Neither do you, apparently!" Yet another spoke up. "It explicitly forbids harming anyone that is not actively fighting against them. Unfortunately, the terrorists define that as anyone who disagrees with them in the slightest way."

"Shut up, all of you!" Vlad screamed, but they took no notice of them. By this time, Danny was listening intently. This was far from a civilized discussion, but it was certainly interesting.

"We aren't going to be able to keep this quiet! We'd better tell the public, because if we don't and they find out anyway, which I assure you they will, we're going to look like a bunch of corrupt people!"

"Look, they aren't going to be able to handle the truth. The U.S. has already been through a great deal. If people find out that Muslims are striking us once again, what do you think is going to happen? Should I mention order 9066 as an example? Try using your brain for once in your life!"

"Follow your own advice, you piece of shit! The people are smarter and more tolerant than you worthless liberals give them credit. You always look down on ordinary people, thinking you know better than we do!"

"Well, we're better than you stupid republicans. You led us into a war under false pretenses and screwed up the one we should have been focusing on, thanks one hell of a lot."

"If this keeps us, I'm going to go deaf." Vlad complained. "And I thought having a bipartisan committee was a good idea…" That was something of an exaggeration. They weren't completely split along party lines, but that was the general division.

The debate got more heated from there.

X X X X X X X X X X

Meanwhile, Jack and Maddie were at Danny's house, wondering where he was. It was far from unusual for him to miss curfew, but he was never this late. It was past midnight and counting.

"Still not here?" Davis smiled sadly. "Well, I doubt he'd be gone so long for a trivial reason. He's a decent kid, perhaps more so than you know."

"I know, but I wish he wouldn't do this." Maddie groaned. "I hate myself for even thinking this, but he might be involved with something dangerous. Oh, I wish he'd just confide in us! We're his parents!"

"Now, Maddie, he's probably just lost track of time." Jack reassured. "I did that frequently when I was a kid. Sigh, we'll talk to him again when he gets home."

"Maddie, there's something I have to talk to you about." Davis informed. Maddie turned to him. "I'd prefer we talk privately, so if you would please follow me."

"Is this your way of asking Maddie for a date?" Jack laughed. "You always were a lady-killer! Hate to say it, but she's taken by me."

"I know, Jack, and this isn't a date." Davis replied. "Please, Maddie, this is important!"

"Okay, Davis, if you say so." Maddie told him. "Jack, let me know the instant Danny comes home. You didn't change my cell number again, did you?"

"No, of course not. I'm a mad scientist, not an idiot!"

"Well, Jack, you're not the only crazy one." Davis said quietly, but neither had any trouble hearing him. "Come on, Maddie." She followed, wondering what all of this was about. Jack scratched his head and shrugged.

Around 10 minutes later, Danny came home. Jack glared, but Danny held up his hand. "Sorry, I'm late, Dad." He apologized. "I was…with Vlad. He was having a meeting and wanted me to watch. It was kind of boring…for a while. He's worried about this whole thing."

"I wish you would have told us, son." Jack exclaimed. "Your mom and I were worried about you. Oh, yeah, she went somewhere with Davis. Apparently he needed to talk. Don't really understand why I couldn't come along, but oh, well! Say, Danny, I've got a new invention I want to show you."

"Not now, Dad. I'm tired and I should probably just try to get some sleep." He collapsed on the couch, but found himself staying awake. Jack sat beside him, trying to give reassurance.

"I know; I'm worried about this whole situation too. I think logically, I knew they would strike again, but I didn't really want to think about it. I'm worried. Who's going to be next?" Danny let his dad ramble. After an unknown amount of time, Davis walked inside and went to bed without saying a word.

Shortly afterward, Maddie walked inside deeply shaken. "Are you all right, Mom?" Danny asked. "What happened to you? What's wrong? If Davis did anything at all, I swear to God I'm going to…"

"Sweetie, he didn't do anything to me." Maddie cut him off gently. "It's just…I don't want to talk about it, ok? I'm going to sleep. Good night, Jack."

"Night, Maddie!" Jack exclaimed. "Woah, what's wrong? Were you guys attacked? Was it a ghost? Oh, when I get my hands of that worthless piece of ectoplasm…"

"Jack, it wasn't anything like this. It's just…I can't tell you." Taking a deep breath, she walked up the stairs with little of her usual balance.

X X X X X X X X X X

Although they had eventually (and reluctantly, in some cases) voted to keep the details a secret, the truth leaked to the public as it often did. Although there were a few incidents of violence involving anger toward Muslims, or anyone who appeared as if they were from the Arab countries, along with numerous threats, life pretty much went on as it always did. Vlad, along with other public officials, condemned such attacks, but for the most part, it was simply grandstanding for the public, as most disapproved of them anyway.

The next day, Vlad announced to the public that a special task force had been formed for the specific purposes of destroying the ghost. "I promise you, this reign of terror will end! The American ghost hunting team, the GIW, have devised a way of hunting down and destroying him!" The camera switched views to show over 200 agents and assorted vehicles. They got onto them and sped in the air, the people cheering them on. The largest of the vehicles created a portal that they followed into the ghost zone.

For the next few hours, the whole country was anxiously awaiting news. After what seemed like forever, they returned unharmed and stated that they had found and engaged the target. "We caught it by surprise!" One of them explained. "We hit it with everything we had before it was even aware of our existence. No ghost could possibly survive such an onslaught."

After a day or so, most people assumed that the ghost responsible for the short but terrible path of destruction had been destroyed. Although they did not actually see the GIW strike force go into action against him, they informed the press that they had destroyed the ghost with new ecto-rockets that were still in the experimental stages.

Life quickly turned back to normal, or what passed for normal in Amity Park. Jack and Maddie had fun working on ghost weapons instead of watching the news anxiously, waiting for news of a new attack. Danny, Tucker, and Sam resumed their ghost fighting, and avoiding Dash Baxter once Casper High reopened.

That is, until during a patrol one night, Danny ran into Vlad once more. This time, he didn't greet Danny with a sardonic remark, but with an ecto-blast. "Don't you ever give up, cheese head?" Danny complained as he dodged another attack.

"The answer to that should be obvious, Daniel." Vlad smirked. Danny glared and sped towards him, changing direction at the last second. Before Vlad could respond, Danny fired several ecto-blasts into his chest, knocking him back. Before Vlad could hit back, he was kicked across the jaw. "You're improving, Daniel. There may be hope for you yet."

Before Danny could respond, he grabbed his head, moaning in pain. Vlad grabbed his leg and threw him onto a ceiling. He tried to stand up but fell to his knees. Vlad smirked, gloating at his defeat. Tucker fired an ecto-shot into his back, spinning him around.

Danny was about to continue the fight despite the pain when he saw a ghost nearby, aiming for Vlad. He flew towards him, punching him in the jaw. The ghost fired an ecto-blast in Danny's direction. He put up a shield, but it ripped through like it was never there at all. He screamed, completely out of control, falling to the ground with a moan. He got up and both got a good look at the ghost.

The ghost had glowing red eyes and a glowing white tunic around him, in addition to a turban on his head. He had a small beard and hands that glowed with energy. In other words, he looked like the stereotype of a terrorist, save for the fact that his body was glowing.

"Nobody does that except me!" Vlad yelled furiously. He duplicated into 4, and all of them fired energy at full power. Everyone who had stopped to watch the fight were nearly blinded by the light. After nearly a minute, Vlad stopped his barrage, confident that the ghost was now nothing but a pile of goo.

Instead, it didn't seem affected in the least. It fired ecto-orbs in return, destroying every duplicate. Vlad barely managed to dodge his second attack. However, Danny had recovered and jumped into the fray, firing ice blasts. "Tucker, Sam, get out of here!" Danny demanded, trying to ignore the throbbing in his head. He fired ecto and ice blasts, the ghost making no attempt to dodge.

As the fight continued, it was clear that both Danny and Vlad were badly outmatched. Tucker dragged Sam out of the line of fire, despite her protests. Vlad dodged another attack, one that completely destroyed the house below him. Danny kicked the ghost in the gut, punching him repeatedly. It simply responded with a punch to the chest, nearly breaking his ribs.

People were fleeing, trampling each other in their haste to get away. Danny tried to get its attention by launching the strongest ecto-blasts he could muster. He wanted to use his ghostly wail, but feared that would cause more damage than there already was. Vlad pushed Danny out the way of an incoming assault.

"Why are you doing this?" Danny demanded. "How could you possibly kill hundreds of innocent people?" The ghost stayed silent, firing a punch. Danny evaded a direct blow, but even though it barely touched his thigh, he screamed in agony.

Furiously, Vlad fired a ghost stinger into his face. The ghost glared, but gave no indication that he even felt it. The billionaire put up a shield, but his was ripped through as easily as Danny's.

When they were in close proximity of one another, the ghost fired his strongest ecto-blast yet, hitting both of them directly. Neither one were able to sustain their ghost forms for long. They weakly floated to the ground, rings already surrounding them. Most people were already gone, so they were in less danger of having their secrets revealed.

_He's far more powerful than I imagined. _was Vlad's last thought before he fell unconscious.

X X X X X X X X X X

Well, now things are getting interesting. That heated debate at City Hall was basically my admission that this story could be perceived as Islamophobic, although that is obviously not my intention. Hey, I don't want to demonize people that disagree with me, which is why I do my best to be fair to both sides. I'm not perfect, but I am a human being… sort of.

In any case, hope you enjoyed the chapter and as always, please review. I'm glad to see the reception I've gotten so far. Thank you, everyone, and keep it up!


	3. Preparations

Danny groaned as he slowly woke up, taking in his surroundings. Tucker, Sam, and Jazz surrounded him. "Where am I?" he asked.

"Honestly, you're near a dumpster." Tucker quipped. "Thankfully, you weren't unconscious for more than 10 minutes."

"Yes, it's good to see you awake, Daniel." Vlad looked at him, brushing himself off. "Apparently this thing is far more powerful than even I believed. We'd better start taking steps against him." That being said, he flew off before the trio could say anything more.

"So where is he?" Danny wondered.

"For some reason, he disappeared after he beat you and Vlad." Sam sighed. "I don't understand any of this, but much as I hate to admit it, Vlad's right."

"Danny, keep your distance from him." Jazz pleaded. "I know your instinct is to jump in and help, but he's too powerful for you to even hurt, let alone beat. I suggest we try to find out more about him before we fight him again."

"Jazz, I can't do that." Danny replied. "You've heard what he's been doing, right? Well, I saw it with my own eyes. It was… like a terrible horror movie, only this was real. I can't just step aside and let it happen. The bodies, the scent of burned flesh…"

"Danny, you can stop now!" Tucker exclaimed.

"Sorry, it's just… still in my memories." Danny shook his head. "I'm starting to think it's time."

"Time for what?" Jazz asked curiously.

"It's time to tell my parents that I'm Danny Phantom."

"Are you crazy?" Tucker asked. "What part of ripping ghosts apart molecule by molecule did you not understand?"

"I was going to have to do this sooner or later guys." Danny sighed. "All things considering, I'd better do it now because we're going to need their help."

"It's your choice, Danny." Jazz stated. "I'll support you in whatever you decide to do."

"I'm nervous about this." Danny sighed. "I'd rather fight that ghost again, but this has to be done. They'll react better if I tell them than if they find out on their own. Mom and Dad may be weird, but they are not stupid. They'll figure it out sooner or later."

"And if they don't accept you, you can always stay at my place." Tucker offered.

"Tucker, you really shouldn't have said that." Sam chastised. "He's nervous enough about all this. Danny, how about we come with you, just for moral support?"

"Yeah, we have your back!" Tucker exclaimed.

"I'm proud of you, little brother." Jazz smiled. "It takes a lot of bravery to do a thing like that."

"Then we better go before I talk myself out of it." Danny declared and started walking. He was slow, as he was still not fully recovered. The four teenagers looked around them. A few buildings were completely destroyed, and several were on the brink of collapse. Ambulances and firefighters were already on the scene, putting out the fires that had popped up and seeing to the wounded. Weak as he was, Danny could still hear the agonized moans around him.

Before he knew it, they were back at Fenton Works. Danny shook his head; it seemed like it didn't take any time at all. When they went inside, Jack and Maddie were still watching the news reports. That, more than anything else, told him that things were getting worse. Much as it sometimes embarrassed him, Danny would much rather have seen them work on various inventions.

"Hey, Danny, where have you been?" Jack greeted, but without his usual enthusiasm. "We were worried about you."

"Mom, Dad, there's something I have to tell you." Danny gulped; there was no turning back now. "Can we go somewhere private?"

"Well, Davis is in the lab right now, but we can go upstairs if there's something you want to tell us." Maddie nodded. "Excuse us for a few minutes, kids." They walked up to Danny's room, with him following nervously. Once they got there: "So what did you want to tell us, sweetie?"

Danny stayed silent for several seconds, but then exclaimed: "I'm going ghost!" transforming into Danny Phantom. Jack and Maddie stared wide-eyed at their son, not knowing what to say or do.

"You're… you're Danny Phantom?" Jack managed to gasp out.

"Yeah, this happened to me when I tried to fix the portal." Danny grinned nervously. "You put the on button inside it, I accidentally pushed it, and… well, you can see what happened. I'm not possessed of anything; I'm still Danny."

"Well, this would explain why our ghost detectors always pointed to you." Maddie stated. "I thought they were just malfunctioning, but I guess they worked after all. So you've been out there all this time fighting ghosts? Have you told anyone else about this?"

"Well, Sam and Tucker were with me when it happened, and Jazz found out later. Other than them, though, no."

"So you're the one we saw fighting that ghost on the news, along with the Wisconsin Ghost?" Jack exclaimed. "Ha ha, ghost hunting is in your blood! But seriously, son, why didn't you tell us earlier? I've seen some of the ghosts you've faced out there. We could have helped you with that! You've been risking your life for months and you didn't tell us? You could have died out there!"

"I was worried you wouldn't accept me."

"Of course we'd accept you; you're our son! But from now on, you're not going out there without us! I don't want anything happening to you!"

"Danny, what kind of things can you do?" Maddie asked. "I've seen some of your abilities, but what else can you do?" Danny spent the next 10 minutes explaining his abilities and the concept of a ghost hybrid. He kept Vlad's identity to himself, hoping to try and keep him in line. Besides, they had much bigger things to worry about.

"So what can you tell us about that ghost you were fighting?" Jack asked.

"For one thing, he's a lot more powerful than me." Danny sighed. "Nothing I threw at him even slowed him down, much less stopped him. I highly doubt I could even get him into the thermos, or hold him inside. Also, he's far more deadly than anyone else I've ever faced." Except perhaps for his alternate self, but he wasn't about to tell his parents that. "Most of the ghosts I've fought enjoy frightening people, causing havoc, but very few attempt cold-blooded murder, especially on this scale."

"Well, we'll have to work together to stop him, then." Jack exclaimed. "If I had my way, you'd stay out of it, but you'd just find a way around it. Ghost hunting is not all fun and games, son. It can get extremely dangerous."

"I already know, Dad. I wouldn't keep up with it if I wasn't serious about what I do."

"We just worry about you, sweetie." Maddie informed. "We're your parents; that's just what we do. From now on, we'll be fighting beside you."

"K, mom, but remember: I've been doing this for over a year now." Danny stated. "I'm used to getting hurt out there; comes with the job. Some of these ghosts are too much for you to handle, so I have to do it. Still, I'd appreciate your help. And no, I'm not going to stay out of this. You guys have heard on the news what's been happening. Well, I saw it with my own eyes. It's too terrible to describe, so whatever I can do to stop him, I will." They embraced one another and went back down the stairs. Tucker, Jazz, Sam, and Davis were waiting for them, with the latter three staying as far away from him as they could.

"Well, we managed to work things out." Danny sighed. A great burden was lifted off his shoulders. Now he no longer had to worry about his parents throwing him aside and hunting him for what he was. Obviously, they still had many things to work out, but that could wait.

"I'm glad to hear that, Daniel." Davis looked at him with disturbing keenness. "However, there is something you need to know. At least in Amity, the terror alert level has been raised to red. Vlad's giving a press conference, but there's no need to listen. It's the usual crap politicians say when there's a situation. The only interesting part is that members of the National Guard are being called in to help with security."

"What chance are they going to have against a ghost?" Jazz worried. "Especially one as powerful as this."

"I suppose they have to do something." Davis sighed. "The Guys in White have proven to be completely useless, or near enough. Sigh, we're just going to have to do our best."

"I'm going back to my room; we need to talk." Danny declared, dragging his friends and sister there. Once the door was shut, he stated: "So what do we do? I refuse to even consider staying out of this. Again, I saw what this ghost did with my own eyes."

"Okay, Danny, if you want to continue fighting him, we'll support you." Sam bowed her head. "But we're coming with you, no matter how you try to stop us. We haven't left your side and I don't intend to start now." Tucker and Jazz nodded in agreement.

Afterwards, the topics of conversation became more mundane. Tucker was talking about an upgrade he had gotten for his PDA, Sam was complaining about Paulina's actions once again, and Jazz was simply watching them silently. The trio eventually started playing video games.

"Yes, victory is mine!" Tucker laughed. He was fighting against Sam in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks and finally managed to beat her in versus mode.

"So? I beat you over a dozen times!" Sam laughed. "Care to try your luck, Danny?"

"Oh, you don't have a chance." he grinned, taking the controller from Tucker. "Ha, ha, you'll have to do better than that!"

"You know, this is actually interesting to watch." Jazz remarked. "We're debating in our psychology class whether or not violence in the media leads to real-world. I'm honestly not sure which side to take on this debate."

"I think we'd better worry about our resident terrorist first." Danny replied. "Damn, I hate those fireballs."

"Ha ha ha, Danny." Sam retorted. "My main concern is that innocent people will be blamed for all this. Since we've finally got a decent guy in power, I'm not as concerned as before, but we tend to blame a whole group for the actions of a few."

"Hey, Sam, if you knew half as much about the guy as I've found out, you'd wonder why anyone voted for him." Tucker replied. "I mean, seriously; telling people to report to them if they heard anything fishy about his plan? He never considered that we might be alarmed by that? That's something you'd expect in Russia, not the U.S."

"And how is that different from the racial profiling we had after the attacks? Our image in the world is tarnished because of him! Least our president is trying to repair our image in the world."

"If by repair, you mean kiss the ass of every dictator he can find, yeah!" They continued arguing from there. Because of it, Danny managed to beat Sam in the game, but it didn't matter now. Tucker and Sam had always been far more outspoken about politics than he was. Most of the time, he didn't even think of the ramifications, but it occurred to Danny that perhaps he should.

"How do you put up with this every day?" Jazz asked.

"I don't, not all the time. Besides, you get used to it after a while. I've learned to simply stay out of it and let them kill each other, so to speak." They argued for close to an hour before Danny finally had enough and kicked them out. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep, even though it was barely sunset.

X X X X X X X X X X

Over the next few days, Danny watched as Amity park was almost transformed. When he patrolled at night, he saw tanks driving through the neighborhoods and soldiers around the entire city. With further buildings being obliterated, the public demanded that action be taken.

"In response to the horrible attacks on our soil, I have declared a state of emergency for Amity Park until such time as this crisis is over." Vlad stated during a press conference. "We are now at code red, and I have requested two divisions from the United States military to help us during this difficult time."

Danny spent a lot of his time wondering around Amity, since school was canceled and he was lost in his own thoughts. Almost everyone was talking about the situation and he couldn't even walk down a street without seeing a squad of soldiers going about their business. Logically, he saw the necessity but it was highly inconvenient when he was Danny Phantom. He had several close calls already and was not eager for more.

"So what do you think about all this?" He heard someone ask.

"I was trapped on the 84th floor of the North Tower and got out less than five minutes before it collapsed." The person responded. "It doesn't get much worse than that. I moved here because I thought this place would be too small for terrorists to target. Shows what I know."

"What about Danny Phantom?" a third asked. By this time, Danny had stopped to listen to their conversation.

"It took me a long time to believe that ghosts actually exist." The woman shook her head. "He's trying to help, but what can he do? We saw that terrorist beat him and that other ghost easily, so he won't be much help."

"I'm not so sure." The third replied. "I've heard of him triumphing in the face of great odds before." he rubbed his temple and sighed. "Every time I go into a building, I always worry that this will be my last day on Earth."

"I know the feeling." the first asked. "Let's see how the government manages to screw this up."

"And I thought I was cynical." the second chuckled. Danny decided to leave, not wanting to hear anything more. He started thinking to himself about why he really became a hero. At first, it was out of a sense of adventure, but as time went on, it became something he was determined to do at any cost to himself.

_This is even worse than Pariah Dark. _Danny thought to himself. _He wondered to conquer Amity; all this other ghost seems to want is to destroy everything he can. _He turned to the right, and saw someone being arrested, with the police reading him his rights. Beneath him was a badly beaten man of Middle Eastern descent, although it wasn't clear exactly where he came from. _It's going to get worse before this is over. If Sam was here, she'd probably get on the soapbox, declaring that such attacks are nothing but bigotry or something like that. and I can sympathize; i know what it's like to be considered evil because you're different._

Within a few days, Jack and Maddie rushed to their children to tell them the news. "Well, kids, we've managed to find a way to improve the ghost shield's power." Maddie smiled at them. "The government may not be able to keep this ghost out of the city, but we can!"

"V-man's helped us by putting in a few upgrades and power sources around the city." Jack added. "It'll make the shield larger and stronger, able to cover the entire city. We've even shut down the ghost portal. I objected, but Vlad and your mom overruled me."

"As did I, Jack." Davis looked at him, walking into the room. "I believe it's at least part of the reason that ghosts have been frequently sighted here, and it may have been responsible for… other things." he looked at Danny when he said this.

_Does he know my secret? _Danny worried.

"Davis, I'm asking you for one thing." Maddie stared into his eyes. "Look after Danny and Jazz. Don't let anything happen to them. We don't know what's going to happen, and in case the worst does…"

"I understand; I'll keep them safe." Davis nodded. Jack and Maddie took as many weapons as they possibly could with them and left. The 5 remaining people stared at each other silently. Danny walked out, taking his friends with them.

"I'm going out there as well." Danny exclaimed. "I've got to help them, and no, I'm not letting any of you come along. I can't risk you guys getting hurt. I may not be able to handle him, and I worry about you guys being caught in the crossfire."

"We understand, little brother." Jazz smiled, hugging him lightly. "Just look after yourself." None of them protested when he refused to bring them along. That, more than anything else, told Danny how frightened they were. He transformed into Danny Phantom and was about to fly out when he saw Davis watching.

"Oh, crap." he muttered to himself.

"You know, I can't exactly let you go out there." Davis said mildly. "Your parents made me promise to protect you and that's exactly what I intend to do. Still, considering your abilities, I highly doubt I can force you to stay. Sigh, just be careful."

"How long have you known?" Danny wondered.

"Not long after I met you." Davis remarked. "How I discovered it… is my secret. The world would be a better place if there were more people like you." Danny flew off before he could say anything more.

Once outside, he watched as the ghost shield was activated, covering Amity Park with a green glow. The military and the GIW were getting ready for battle, not knowing just how powerful this ghost was. Danny heard many people that were still in the street cheering them and him on. He waved to them and flew as high as the shield would allow.

After the preparations were made, the whole city was on a watch and wait basis.

The wait was not a long one.

I have to admit, this chapter is not one I like very much, since it's mainly just an interlude before the real action starts. You know, I hate cliffhangers… except when I'm the one writing them, LOL.

As you may have figured out, this is a political story, especially since I've probably said as much before. I'm doing my best not to demonize the other side, so forgive me if it seems that way. The story's about halfway done, and of course, review! It motivates me to continue.


	4. America's Sorrow

It didn't take long for the strange ghost to reveal himself. All of Amity was waiting anxiously, hoping the shield would hold, Danny being one of them.

"Least Sam, Tucker, and Jazz are safe for now." He said to himself. They wanted to come along, but he wouldn't let them do so. Danny had faced many dangerous ghosts, but none like this. The ghost shield glowed over Amity in the night as their enemy slowly approached.

Almost all at once, the military started firing. Artillery lit the sky as the ghost approached the shield. The GIW were firing ghost weapons as well, trying to do anything they could to halt the demon in its tracks.

Unmoved, the ghost fired deadly ecto-rays at the shield, trying to break it. Machine guns added to the noise, but had no more effect than any other weapons. He raised his left hand and ripped through them with ease. Even from a long distance, Danny could hear the screams of the dying.

Nonetheless, the remaining soldiers fought bravely. The ghost backed up from the shield and unleashed a ghostly wail, sustaining it for over a minute. Everyone caught in its path were killed, metal was ripped to pieces, soldiers were killed by falling equipment, limbs being ripped off from the sonic attack.

And then the ghost shield faded out and disappeared. Danny couldn't do anything but stare in horror. After several seconds, he managed to shake himself out of it. "I've got to do something." He told himself. He flew towards the fight, even though he had only once before been so terrified in his life.

X X X X X X X

The ghost was on the outskirts of the city. He unleashed another sonic attack, destroying several nearby buildings. Guns were being fired by the few people still aware enough to use them, but the ghost gave no indication that he even recognized them as a threat.

People were running in terror. Earlier, when the shield was still holding, many stayed where they were and stared instead of fleeing. Now they were paying for that mistake. The ghost fired devastating ecto-blasts into the crowd, vaporizing those nearest to it.

X X X X X X X

A 4-year old girl kept nudging her mother, saying: "Let's go, mommy." not realizing her mother was already dead, her face nearly melted from the attack and the fingers on her right hand fused together.

X X X X X X

It wasn't a simple rampage. The ghost approached apartments and fired another ghostly wail. They erupted into flame as people fled their homes. A few even jumped out of third story windows trying to get away. The ghost flew towards them, destroying the apartments from the ground up. Several vehicles that were nearby, filled with people desperately trying to escape the menace were immediately blown up.

As a result of the fires, power lines fell into the street. Over a dozen people were electrocuted by tripping over the wires within only a few minutes. The ghost fired another wail, killing everyone within 50 meters of himself.

Fire trucks and ambulances were arriving at the scene, slowed down by the masses of people struggling to get away. One ambulance, in its haste to avoid a mother carrying her child, lost its balance and crashed, killing the occupants.

Firefighters tried getting the hydrants to work, but the few that were still functional were not nearly enough to contain the rapidly spreading blaze. They heard the screams of the victims inside the homes, but even with protective clothing, it was too dangerous to go inside.

A few tried anyway; two of them managed to save lives, but the others never made it out. In any case, there was little they could do for anyone. The roads were nearly unusable and the ghost was still in Amity rampaging.

X X X X X X

"Just stay down and hide." Alexander told his wife, Evelyn. They were a middle-aged couple that had been together for nearly 20 years. Their kids had already left the house, except for one. Where he was, neither had any idea. The moment he saw the shield going down, he took his wife and found the best shelter he could.

When he heard people screaming, Alex knew the creature or whatever he was happened to be close by. "Alex, it may not be a good idea to hide here." Evelyn protested.

"Look, we have a better chance here than on the streets." he argued. "If that thing didn't get us, we'd be trampled by others just like us trying to get away." They were currently in the basement, while Alex had a 38 caliber pistol. Privately, he wondered why he brought the damn thing, but any security was better than nothing.

The ceiling shook above them as loud explosions were heard. Alex and Evelyn huddled in fear, praying they would get through this. The wall above them was starting to crack, and he rolled out of the way. Only too late did he realize that his wife was still in the line of fire. An anguished scream sent him back to reality. She moaned, unable to move. Alex was no doctor, but he realized that she was likely going to die. Maybe at a hospital, they could save her, but trapped in a basement when a demon was destroying their town…

He looked her over as best he could given the darkness of the room. He used his hand to feel where her injuries were, his eyes watering from the dust falling. Alex sighed and figured that not only was his wife going to die, but it would take a long time to do so. _Who's going to find us here, in a basement? It'd take them days to find us, maybe weeks. There's no way she'd survive that long. God, what the hell was I thinking? I ignored her concerns and now she's going to die from my stupidity. _He gulped and sighed, bowing his head.

"God forgive me…" he muttered as he picked up his revolver and shot her in the head, putting her out of her misery. He cried, curling into a ball, his hair wet with his wife's blood. After an unknown length of time, he started to have difficulty breathing.

He coughed several times, trying to find his way around in the blackness. Alex tried to find a way to escape, but saw nothing. The explosions were distant, which meant the ghost had moved on. He slowly got to his feet and felt around for an exit. However, he tripped over something and hit his head against a cement wall.

X X X X X

The outskirts of Amity were little more than a sea of fire by now. The ghost was systemically destroying every object he happened to find. Soldiers were firing at him, as were the GIW, doing everything they can to at least slow him down, but it was too no avail.

However, the ghost was kicked in the face by Danny Phantom, who had finally arrived on the scene. Danny launched several ecto-blasts into his opponent's body, going on the offensive. Unfortunately, he gave no indication that he even felt the attacks. The ghost fired another wail, ripping apart the concrete roads and killing everyone in its way.

"You'll pay for that!" Danny swore, duplicating into 4. All of them surrounded the ghost and attacked, but it did little good. There were some minor injuries on Danny's opponent, but for the most part, it seemed as if the ghost was ignoring him.

That is, until he started firing energy in return. The duplicates were immediately vaporized and Danny barely managed to get away. He decided to try a different tactic: he fired ice blasts with as much force as he could muster. However, the ghost didn't seem effected in the least as he delivered an uppercut, sending Danny into the ruins of a building. He barely had a chance to go intangible as debris fell.

By the time he recovered, the ghost was already gone. Danny shook his head and slowly got to his feet. He saw very few living people, but plenty of burned carcasses in the street. "I've got to do something to save them, but what?" Danny muttered. "Everything I've tried has been useless and my ghostly wail would likely only add to the devastation."

He flew into the air, watching more and more of his hometown turn into nothing but ruins. _I've never seen anything like this; even Pariah wasn't this bad. The only time I saw anything like this was my evil self and even then, I didn't hear all the screams. I'm going crazy here; I have to do something!_

He flew to some of the ruined areas and put out all the fires he could. True, it burned too hot to do very much, but he managed to help get the blaze under control. By the time he was done, there were still many fires, but he had managed to save quite a few people from a burning death. However, by this time, he had become exhausted and was in little shape to fight. Not to mention that he was also quite afraid.

"It doesn't matter how I feel." Danny told himself. "I have to keep fighting, no matter what. It doesn't look like I can beat him, but if I can slow him down, it'll give people time to flee. Boy, I hope my parents don't run into this thing!" Danny stopped in mid-air and fell several feet. "Come on, Fenton, get it together!" He slowly flew towards the ghost.

X X X X X X X X

The ghost was now near the center of town, around the tallest buildings and the most populated area. Tanks and helicopters, both military and GIW, were lying in wait for their opponent.

Sure enough, the ghost was seen. Of course, he was destroying everything in his path, the sound of the explosions only dwarfed by the falling debris. Street lights, parked cars, power lines… nothing was spared.

2 GIW jets flew towards him, firing missile and energy rays. Most did not hit their target and even the ones that did were unable to even slow him down. He fired a ghostly wail, reducing another city block to rubble. Helicopters hovered behind him, firing machine guns and rockets, the force sufficient to send him spinning over 200 yards.

But it didn't stop him for very long. The ghost fired more ecto-blasts, bringing down nearly half of the helicopters. The army took whatever cover they could find and fired, but their courage was hanging by a thread.

X X X X X

George Drucker drove the M1 Abrams closer to the creature. He couldn't admit it even to himself, but he was close to panicking. Nothing anyone had done so far had been able to stop this ghost, assuming it even was one.

"Come on, Drucker, we got a job to do." His gunner told him, whose name was John Doe. Obviously, this resulted in quite a bit of ribbing from his buddies.

"Yeah, you're right; got to pull myself together." Drucker told himself. "Could be worse; I could be outside with no protection at all." He admired their bravery; if he were in there shoes at the moment, he'd likely have a heart attack. For that matter, his current job didn't seem like a small risk at the moment.

He drove forward even more, since the orders were to fire at point-blank range or near enough as to make no difference. Other tanks moved ahead of and beside him. The fact that he wasn't alone reassured him to some degree, though the fear was still there.

_I thought Iraq was bad; had no idea what the hell I was talking about. _He thought. "Okay, fire!" he exclaimed. He moved forward within 50 yards of the creature as the tank nearly rocked on its heels. With over 20 tanks and a dozen helicopters firing at the creature simultaneously, it would have to stop him… right?

Alas, it was not to be. The creature fired some sort of sonic attack, destroying the tank in front of him. More helicopters went down as the jets went for another pass. A few of their shots hit the tank, though thankfully they didn't penetrate.

One of the jets went down, but before it hit the ground, the ghost actually grabbed it and picked it up. There was a brief lull in the firing as they wondered what he was going to do. They didn't have to wait long as he threw it into the tallest building in Amity, the closest they had to a skyscraper. It smashed into the 18th floor out of 22 and set the top of the building ablaze.

The ghost fired another wail, ripping apart every tank and airplane in its path. The helicopters were all destroyed, while the tanks were severely damaged. Drucker shifted it into reverse, trying to get away from the creature. However, they didn't move for more than a few seconds before the engine conked out.

X X X X X X X X X X

For the people trapped above the impact, there was no hope. Many inside were dying from smoke inhalation and burns. Nobody could see anything around them. Freddy coughed loudly, rubbing his eyes, which were watering rapidly. He was only 10 years old and had no idea why this was happening. "Mom, where are you?" He called out and got a lungful of smoke for his trouble.

He found himself growing weaker and weaker, the smoke in his lungs having a serious effect on him. It was impossible to speak, or even see more than 2 feet in front of him. Every breath he took caused him pain, but he was unable to hold his breath for long.

Freddy fell to the ground, where his mother scooped him up. "Don't worry; we'll be with Daddy soon." she told him. He looked around and saw everything going down. The pain was slowly disappearing, but he found it more and more difficult to move. He stopped struggling and fell to blackness, never to wake up.

X X X X X X X X X X

"Ok, now what do we do?" John asked.

"Let's see… we have plenty of ammo left, but we're a sitting duck." Drucker replied. "I suggest we bail out and try to evade that thing's attention." Neither wanted to leave the relative safety of the tank, but it didn't look like they had any other option. They stayed out, their personal weapons out. Logically, both knew that it was useless against their enemy; if tanks and helicopters wouldn't stop it, a pair of pistols certainly wouldn't.

By and large, the military had been ripped apart in the fight. True, there were still stubborn groups fighting, but the others were either dead or playing possum. In any case, the ghost was mostly ignoring them now, having concluded that they were no longer a threat.

It fired an ecto-stream at the base of the skyscraper. Drucker held his breath without even realizing it for several seconds. People that were trying to flee the skyscraper were cut down like wheat before the ghost moved on throughout the city.

Drucker and John moved slowly towards the civilians, trying to see what they could do for them. Most of the surviving personnel were doing the same, except for a handful of GIW agents that were stubbornly following the ghost. They heard the occasional moans from the group, but other than that, they were silent.

The soldiers did what they do, but that was very little, especially since they had wounded comrades of their own. "Some of those people we couldn't even save in a hospital, let alone in the middle of a goddamn war zone." Doe shook his head.

"I know, but we've got to try." Drucker replied. "I joined the army to protect others and that's what I'm going to do." He heard a dull thud close by. He looked up and saw several people jumping out of the windows on the top floor, desperate to escape the rapidly spreading blaze. He grabbed a wounded civilian and hoisted him over his shoulder, Doe doing the same.

"We better move; that building isn't going to hold much longer." Doe pointed out. To the best of their ability, they carried the civilians out of immediate danger and looked over their injuries. Drucker took out bandages and morphine. One of them might have a chance at survival; as for the other… he sent the morphine into his system, trying to make sure he at least died peacefully.

"So should we go back and try to get others or just get the hell out of here?" Doe asked. "I hate to say it, but I'm opting for the latter. Call me a coward if you want, but I'm a human being." Before Drucker could answer, they heard the building collapse. He picked up the surviving citizen and sprinted out of the way. It was almost like a debris tsunami, sweeping people away and killing many of the ones who had stopped to help people.

After it seemed like they had escaped, Drucker and Doe got to work on the person they rescued.

X X X X X X X X X X X

"The fires are raging throughout downtown Amity." an aide told Vlad. "Most of the water mains have been destroyed, so we can't put them out. If not for Danny Phantom, things would be even worse than they are."

"Damn it, can't you do something to stop this thing?" Vlad demanded. Before the aide could reply, they heard something on the broadcast.

"11th armored division has been destroyed! Repeat, 11th armored division has been destroyed!" The person on the line stated. "The present location of our target is unknown. Requesting further instructions; requesting further instructions."

"This is the Mayor; activate emergency code 615." he ordered. "Even if we can't stop him, we can try and save some of these people."

"Yes, sir." The broadcaster replied. He spoke to everyone listening. "Initiate emergency code 615! Initiate emergency code 615!"

X X X X X X X X X X X

Danny had finally managed to catch up with the ghost. By this time, it had destroyed much of the city, methodically pounding it to rubble one block at a time. It took savage pleasure in doing the same to the people, overthrowing vehicles, rupturing gas mains, and firing the occasional ghostly wail.

"Ok, I've got one shot at this." Danny gulped. He was already tired and hurt from the last fight, but he forced himself to push past the pain and the fear he felt. He flew towards the ghost, uppercutting it into a destroyed apartment complex. The second it got up, Danny charged up his ghostly wail.

He fired it at full strength, steadily driving the ghost back. It tried to stand up and fight, but was unable to do so. True, the sonic attack destroyed various parts of buildings as well, but it seemed like Danny had finally found a way to defeat whatever this thing was. It fell into a pile of rubble, Danny constantly hammering it.

He kept it up for two minutes and fell to the ground, on his knees, barely able to keep up his ghost form. But all of a sudden, it didn't matter so much. "PHANTOM! PHANTOM! PHANTOM!" the people cheered, or at least the ones that were still able. Danny tried to fly away, only to find that he didn't have the energy.

And he was now in even worse trouble now that the ghost ripped itself out of the rubble, not hurt very badly at all. Military jets arrived on the scene, but they were able to do even less good than Danny. He gasped in horror as a couple of children were trampled. He tried to fly over there and rescue them, but didn't get more than 10 feet before he feel flat on his face and returned to human form. He briefly worried that people saw him, but no one was paying him the slightest attention. Soon, he found himself fleeing with the others. Unfortunately, he tripped and fell into a pile of concrete. To make matters even worse, it started falling on top of him. He raised his heads above his head to protect himself… which was the last thing he remembered.

X X X X X X

While all this was going on, Tucker, Sam, Jazz, and Davis were watching the coverage of Amity's destruction. However, out of nowhere, Davis grabbed Sam's hand and started pulling her. "Come on, we've got to get down to the lab." He informed. "It won't be long before that thing gets over here."

"Hey, shouldn't we go to the Ops center?" Tucker suggested. "That thing can actually fly and get us away from here."

"And how long would we last in the air?" Davis demanded. "It's already destroyed many of the jets trying to take him down, the military and GIW alike barely able to slow him down, let alone stop him. Come on, we've got to get to shelter."

"Stop pulling on me, Seriza!" Sam demanded. "You're hurting me!" Davis immediately let go, only to pick her up. She kicked and screamed, but to no avail. He ran to the lab, which had recently been reinforced with supports, Tucker and Jazz following reluctantly.

"I hope Danny's all right." Jazz gulped. "What I've seen this thing do… it's not like any other ghost Amity has ever seen. When I saw him fighting… I mean, fleeing."

"I'm sure he can take care of himself." Davis replied. Now that they were all in the lab, he returned to his usual quiet self.

"So how do we get out of here?" Sam demanded quietly, once they were out of his earshot.

"You actually want to go out there?" Tucker hissed. "There's no way we can find Danny right now!"

"I saw how badly he fared in that fight; I'm not leaving him and I can't believe you would. What kind of friend are you, Tucker?"

"Look, Sam, Tucker may have a point." Jazz broke in before they started shouting. "I don't think we can find Danny right now, and he certainly wouldn't want us to be in the middle of that. It's why he refused to have us come along." Normally, they would have ignored him and come along anyway, but this time… she hated to admit it, even to herself, but she was too frightened to do so.

"I don't care; I'm going out there to find him, with or without you cowards!"

"No, Samantha, you're not." Davis looked at her sternly. "There's no way you can find him out there, even if he is Danny Phantom. I told Jack and Maddie that I would keep you children safe, and I intend to keep that promise.

Before Sam could reply, they heard explosions nearby. The power flickered and then went out. Thankfully, the Fentons installed emergency lights, although it was still difficult to see.

Try as they might, none of them could tune out the screams of the dying. Along with explosions, there were scattered bursts of gunfire, but it was obviously a futile gesture. The building rocked above them, but fortunately did not collapse.

Tucker, Sam, and Jazz held each other closely, hoping to get through this alive and hoping for Danny's safety. Davis simply watched them silently, lost in his own memories. The explosions grew less frequent and more distant. Tucker and Jazz heard Sam muttering to herself, saying something neither of them could understand.

"Sam, what are you saying?" Jazz asked.

"It's the Jewish prayer for the dead." Sam replied. "I thought it might offer some comfort, but nothing." She muttered to herself in Hebrew, bowing her head.

They heard the door break open, a slab of brick sticking into the lab. Now even if they wanted to, they were unable to leave, except through the ghost zone, and since Jack and Maddie took the specter speeder, they had no method of transportation.

None of them knew how much time had passed, but eventually, they sun came up and with it, the horrible stench of death. However, there were now very few screams and no more explosions. The ghost had obviously left Amity, leaving behind a devastated city.

The trio slowly fell asleep, still worried about Danny and the Fentons. Jazz fell asleep first, Tucker doing so shortly afterwards. Sam stayed awake longer, worrying about Danny, her parents, and everyone she knew. True, she may have hated the preps at school, but she didn't want them dead. At least the danger was over.

For now, that is.

Damn, that took me quite some time to write! I went through it 3 or 4 times, making sure it was just how I wanted it. In my opinion, this is the most important chapter of the story. Some of you might complain that Danny only played a minor role here, but I wanted to show the true price of something like this happening and how I believe people would react.

There should be two more chapters after this one and yes, I am well aware this is pretty tragic. Some of the images are pretty obviously based on actual occurrences. In response to any possible accusations, I was not trying to use to my advantage the tragedy, but rather, show how terrible it truly is. This story has an obvious message and I think it is relevant to what we are currently facing.

True, I based this on one of my favorite movies, but I decided to put my own twist on it. It's got a different message and one that fits with my thought. Hey, I did warn you this was, to some degree, a political story.

In any case, please review; if you flame, at least tell me what I did wrong. Telling me I suck isn't going to help matters any.


	5. Pain and Loss

Okay, just one more chapter after this one, and I'll be done. Yeah, it's full of angst, I know. Thank you to everyone who reviewed.

Danny slowly opened his eyes and looked around, not having any idea where he was. He heard noises, but none that he was able to identify. He tried to get him, but someone slowly pushed him back down. Danny groaned, shaking his head. "Where am I?"

"Save your energy, ok?" Sam smiled sadly at him. "You were busted up pretty badly."

Danny felt a jab of pain as he took a deep breath. His vision became clearer and he saw the ceiling of the Casper High gymnasium. People were moaning and crying everywhere; he found himself on a crudely constructed cot.

"Danny, don't move." Sam chastised gently. "I'm glad to see you're awake; Mr. and Mrs. Fenton were real worried about you."

"What happened?" He asked.

"Sigh, there are places like this everywhere. That ghost destroyed most of Amity Park. We're lucky they found you, all things considering." He looked into her eyes, seeing dark circles in her eyes.

_Sam was crying? _Danny asked. _That seems impossible; Sam never cries! _Of course, most would say it was impossible for a ghost to destroy a city in a single night, but it was obvious that it was exactly what had happened. He took a deep breath, instantly regretting it.

"I'll get a doctor for you." Sam promised. She looked around the gym; it was extremely crowded, with moaning of the dying and the grieving of loved ones. The few trained personnel were under great strain, with people surrounding them, asking for their families and friends to be seen to.

"Sam, I'll live." Danny moaned. "These people need help too. Uh…how long was I out?"

"Nearly 12 hours; the whole country is still in shock. I haven't heard anything for some time."

"What about… Mom and Dad?"

"They're some of the volunteers that are doing what they can to help. They wanted to stay, but Jazz told them to try and do what they can; she's doing the same. Sigh, I'm not sure how much of it they can take. It's… pretty gruesome."

"I thought you were a goth." Danny smiled weakly and coughed, his ribs giving him hell. He screamed, trying to get the pain to stop. They were obviously broken, but he couldn't see the rest of him.

"Watching horror movies is one thing; this… I can't deal with this." She started crying again. Danny tried to comfort, but even moving took a great deal of energy. He groaned weakly, trying to put his hand on her shoulder.

"Sam… I'll be all right."

"I know when you're lying, Danny." She smiled sadly, and Danny knew she was right. The only other time he could think of something like this was when Vlad infected her and Tucker with ecto-acne so Danny would cure him as well. However, that was only them and this was an entire city.

"Sam, I've got to recover. I have to so something to beat that ghost."

"Danny, you aren't going anywhere. You weren't able to do anything against him; no one was. The military, the ghost hunters, the shield we put around the city… it was barely enough to slow him down."

"I've got to do something. This whole country is living on borrowed time now. There's got to be some way to stop him."

"Please, stop trying to be a hero this once. Just be Danny Fenton." After what seemed like forever, they saw a doctor nearby. He was standing over a boy that couldn't be more than eight years old, his parents waiting anxiously. With dark circles under his eyes, he checked the boy out and sadly shook his head. The parents were barely able to restrain tears.

Sam saw her chance and dragged him over to Danny. He knelt down and looked him over. Danny groaned, trying once more to sit up. The doctor laid his hands gently, touching various body parts, muttering to himself. "Well, son, I think you're going to live." He smiled, probably his first of the day.

"That's all you can tell us?" Sam demanded. "What's wrong with him? Give him some sort of medication; he's in terrible pain!"

"We ran out of pain medication hours ago." The doctor sighed, obviously used to this sort of reaction. "As for your boyfriend there…" Neither Danny or Sam had the energy to protest. "…he's got a few broken ribs, in addition to his leg. It'll take several weeks, maybe several months to recover. Be grateful he's alive, ma'am, especially with what his chart says, and be grateful he'll be able to use that leg again. It's nothing to turn a blind eye to, not now." That being said, he went off to another patient.

"Sam… where's Tucker?' Danny asked.

"He wanted to be alone for a while." Sam answered. "His father's dead and they don't think his mother's going to make it, so he wanted some time to himself. Goddamn Muslims…" Ordinarily, she was the most tolerant of the trio, but after everything that had happened, her tolerance had taken a severe beating. Logically, she knew that only the terrorists were responsible, not Islam as a whole, but seeing thousands of dead, dying, and wounded people around her, she found it very difficult to be logical.

"I…I don't know what to say. God, I wish none of this ever happened." He looked around, hoping Desiree was there. True, she tended to twist wishes, but anything she could come up with wouldn't be even one-tenth as terrible as what they were currently enduring. Sam's outburst surprised him, but it was hard not to feel anything but vengeful himself. He'd have corrected her, but was barely in a condition to talk. _Me talking to Sam about tolerance; how's that for ironic?_

"Sorry, she's not here. Even if she was, I don't think she's powerful enough to reverse anything like this. That ghost last night… I don't think we've ever seen anything like him."

"Neither have I, Sam." He groaned in pain once more, resisting the urge to scream, collapsing onto his makeshift cot. It didn't take him long to fall unconscious again.

X X X X X X X X X X X

Maddie sighed as she wrapped bandages around someone's leg. She wasn't sure who he was, or if it was a woman, or sure of anything. She was too exhausted and overworked for those details to stay inside her head. She was injured as well, having a sprained ankle. It hurt, but compared to what so many others were going through, it was nothing, so she forced herself to push through the pain.

She finished with her current patient and started looking for the next one. Jack was in the hallway, looking sick. She immediately ran over to him, ignoring the numerous pleas for help and the curses when she didn't turn around. "What's wrong, Jack?" she asked; his face was nearly green.

"I think I'm going to throw up." He complained, looking for a place to sit down. He finally found one in between two critically wounded people. "Come on, Fenton, keep it down!"

"Jack, what is it?" Maddie insisted.

"I had to…help amputate a leg. They didn't have any pain medicine, so they used a tourniquet and after a few minutes started cutting. That was my job, while they held the man still. Those screams, Maddie… I can't get them out of my head. He died from blood loss and shock; they weren't able to save him." Jack grabbed his stomach and started gagging. Maddie jumped back, waiting for him to throw up. "I should have been able to save him, damn it!"

Maddie was taken back, since Jack almost never swore. "Jack, you're doing everything you can to help. So am I; so is everyone." She heard the scream of a crying as two people carted her dead mother away. Throughout the school, many such scenarios were occurring. "Come on, Jack, let's go outside."

"All right, hold on." Jack managed to get up and they walked hand in hand. However, they didn't get more than a few steps before a kid was begging them to help his friend. "You'll have to find someone else; I can't do anything." _You don't want my help, kid. I'll probably just end up killing him. _

They walked outside, where they saw countless people in a huge crowd, either dying or trying to help their loved ones. Few people were able to do anything and Jack and Maddie were immediately dragged to an elderly woman.

"You've got to help her!" The daughter pleaded. "My mother needs insulin; she'll die without it!" Jack looked at her and her mother. Obviously, neither of them had eaten lately.

Bowing his head, he replied: "I don't have any insulin; I don't think anyone does, but I'll see what I can do." He looked her over, and while she wasn't yet in terrible condition, she was hardly the type of person capable of surviving for long. _Could be type 1; if it is, she probably won't survive unless they get help her quickly. She's got maybe a day. _The woman had obviously vomited several times and was barely able to move, although a lack of food likely contributed to that. "Sigh, and it looks like I can't do anything.

"Bullshit!" the daughter exclaimed. "You're like the rest of those bastards!" She threw a punch at his jaw, but he dodged easily, since she wasn't in good shape, either; in no imminent danger like her mother, but weak.

Maddie hissed in pain as her injured ankle hit the ground. Jack grabbed her arm and helped her around, as she was in no position to refuse. In a matter of seconds, a screaming mother slammed into Jack, crying and holding her young child, who was badly burned.

"Please help my son!" she begged. "I'll do anything you want!"

Jack made sure that Maddie could support herself and looked as close as he could, the odor of burnt flesh filling his nostrils. However, the child didn't seem hurt, although his eyes were barely open. He forced himself not to vomit as he pulled the child close and examined him. After looking carefully, and seeing the extent of the burns, he shook his head sadly.

"There's nothing I can do." he told her sadly, but obviously, the mother wouldn't be deterred.

"There's got to be something you can do!" she pleaded. "I'll go down on my knees for you if I have to; just help him!" The sheer desperation in her voice caused Jack to slowly back away from her. It was difficult to do, but since he was helpless, he couldn't think of any other option.

This became the routine for an undetermined length of time. Before either of them knew it, it was sunset and both Fentons were exhausted. "We've got to rest for a while." Maddie told her husband. "I don't exactly want to, but we won't do people any good in our present state."

"I want to argue with you, Maddie, but you're probably right." Jack replied, sitting down in the most comfortable place he could find. "I don't know how much more of this I can take." They looked out into the distance, where fires were still raging all over the city.

"I figured I would find you here." A voice said behind them. They turned around and saw Vlad, who looked as formal as always, though his clothes were covered with debris.

"Nice to see you, Vlad." Jack forced a smile. "I just wish it wasn't under these circumstances. Where have you been?"

"I've spent the past 18 hours at press conferences, giving the usual crap reporters want to hear." Vlad rolled his eyes. "Lousy bloodsuckers….and the damned bureaucrats are even worse. They're taking their sweet time getting help into the city. I've screamed my head off, but it hasn't done much good."

"So when we can expect help?" Maddie asked, looking at Vlad pleadingly.

"It'll take them a day or so to really get aid in, or so they tell me." Vlad replied. "Which means it's anyone's guess. Some supplies have already been brought in, but not nearly enough for everyone."

"So what's been going on in the world?" Jack asked. "We've been cut off from news, but you haven't. What can you tell us?"

"None of if is good, I'm afraid. Preliminary estimates are around 15,000 dead and an unknown number wounded. I wouldn't be surprised if it's double that number, maybe 3 times. It's little more than chaos out here. Raping, looting, people dying in the streets… it's nearly enough to make me cry.

"And of course, our president made a speech."

"What exactly did he say?" Maddie wondered.

"Nothing you missed; this is a major tragedy, we're doing our best to help, we need to stick together in order to pull through, the usual crap. If that's true, why hasn't that idiot sent even half the supplies we need? Come on, I'll take you to my house. Both of you could make do with some food and rest." Most of Vlad's viciousness was gone. He was not even able to muster up hatred against Jack. It was like he was in shock.

It took them around half an hour to get there, with Vlad asking about Danny and the others. He comforted them as best he could, but all three were exhausted, so conversation was kept to a minimum. Finally, they got to his mansion and after Vlad typed in the security codes, it let them inside.

They sat down while Vlad gave them some food. "Why exactly do you have this kind of security?" Jack asked.

"There have already been several groups that tried to break into this place." Vlad explained. "One of the groups was armed and would likely have killed me if they had succeeded, but that doesn't matter at the moment. What do we do?"

"I have no idea." Jack groaned. "We threw everything we had at the ghost and it didn't even slow him down." From the windows, the smoke and flames were still highly visible, running unchecked because there was no way for them to put them out.

"Jack, there's got to be some way to do it. I know you two; I know what you can do. You've got to have some weapon that can destroy him."

"Sorry, V-man; we brought our strongest weapons to fight him and they were useless. For now, I think we're going to have to focus on recovering from this disaster."

"Jack, use your head. This is only the beginning! Last night, Amity Park was destroyed. Who's going to be next? If we don't find a way to destroy him, this entire nation will be finished."

"I'm well aware of this; I just feel… helpless. It's hard to believe something like this can really happen here.'

"Well, it damn well has and we have to deal with it. I suggested using nuclear weapons against him, since everything else we've tried has failed, but our genius commander-in-chief refused. Apparently we have no right to use nuclear weapons, even in our own defense. He sugarcoated it, but that's what it basically meant. He's willing to let brutal dictators have them, but he's not willing to use them to protect Americans?! What kind of logic is that?"

"The whole country is still in shock, Vlad. We're going to need time to come up with a plan of action."

"We don't have any time! Your son is one of the countless wounded, and you're lucky Jasmine isn't among them. Tens of thousands are dead and hundreds are mourning their losses. This can happen all over again anywhere in the country if we don't do something now!" Vlad was surprised that he would care about others, but he was in his own way, patriotic, and the United States was his country.

"Maddie, you haven't said anything. What's on your mind?" Maddie's head turned towards them and she stayed silent for several minutes.

"There… might be another way to stop him." Maddie informed, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Well, tell us!" Vlad exclaimed. "Don't keep us in suspense; if you know a way, use it!"

"Vlad, it's not something I came up with." Maddie told the men. "Jack, you remember when I disappeared that one night with Davis?" She waited for him to nod before continuing. "Well, it wasn't exactly a date. He took me to a lab he set up and revealed a terrible secret to me. In an effort to solve some of the world's energy problems, he accidentally created a terrible weapon, one that can kill every living thing around it. He labeled it the ectoplasmic destroyer, after the matter he was studying. After showing it to me, he swore me to secrecy because according to him, if this was discovered, countries around the world would be developing this weapon and using them on one another. I still feel guilty about betraying his trust after everything he's been through, but it's the only thing that might be able to destroy him."

"Maddie, we're going to need Seriza's help; there's no way to beat him, and we have no time to debate amongst ourselves. Where is he now?"

"He's at Fenton Works, to the best of my knowledge. The ectoplasmic destroyer is there. This new substance he found… all you need is a pebble's worth to vaporize everything within 100 meters."

"Come on, we'd better get moving then." Jack declared. "You know, a large part of me still thinks we should have stayed at Danny's side."

"I'm sure Daniel will understand." Vlad replied, obtaining a 38 caliber pistol and his walking shoes. "Let's get moving; the less time we waste, the better."

They walked through the streets, all of them nervous because it was now pitch-black. Vlad fingered his pistol, looking around everywhere. Jack took the lead, while Maddie stayed between them with her head bowed. Suddenly, Jack started sprinting in a random direction.

Vlad was about to berate him until he heard the reason. He heard a scream for help nearby and it sounded vaguely familiar. He climbed over the rubble and saw a latina girl with her clothes half ripped off, still struggling in the man's grip.

"Shut up, bitch!" he yelled, backhanding her. Jack jumped into action, ripping him away from the girl and punching him in the gut. He doubled over and Jack kneed him in the groin with all his strength, finishing with a punch that nearly broke the man's jaw.

"Are you all right, girl?" Jack asked, but the girl backed away from him, clutching her torn clothes.

"Hold on, Jack; let me talk to her." Maddie intervened. "It's okay; we're not here to hurt you. What's your name?"

"Paulina," she managed to sob out. "That guy… he was going to…" She broke down crying again.

"He can't hurt you now, ok?" Maddie soothed. "We're here to help you, Paulina."

"You guys go back to Fenton Works." Vlad instructed. "I'll be along with you in a minute." Once they got about 100 feet away, he shot the unconscious man in the head, glaring at him with disgust. He quickly caught up to them, while Jack was carrying Paulina. It took some coaxing on Maddie's part, but she eventually agreed, especially since Maddie's ankle hurt her badly and she had to be supported by Vlad to move more than a few feet. It was a long, slow, painful journey, but they finally managed to get to Fenton Works.

"Paulina, just sit down and relax, ok?" Maddie gave her a weak smile. "We'll be back in a few minutes."

They saw Davis sitting at the kitchen table, or what was left of it. He was obviously deep in thought until he saw the trio. "Hello, guys." Davis greeted. "Look, if you're asking me to help with the injured, I can't. I'm not able to stomach it; brings back too many memories."

"We're not here about that." Vlad cut him off. "We need your ectoplasmic destroyer."

"I have no idea what you're referring to!" Davis lied in surprise, standing up. Even if Vlad had not known of the weapon, Davis' lie would have informed him.

"I broke my promise; I'm sorry, Davis." Maddie bowed her head. "We need you to use the ectoplasmic destroyer against that creature."

Davis gave Maddie a betrayed look and exclaimed: "No," sprinting down into the lab. Vlad, Maddie, and Jack quickly followed, where they found he had locked the door. Thanks to Jack's strength and the fact it was already weakened from the attack, they burst in.

They found Davis ripping apart his notes and grabbing the device, intending to destroy it. Maddie grabbed on to it, and they wrestled around, while Jack tried to break the two apart. "No, I won't let you!" Davis shouted, wresting it free from her, where she fell to the ground with a cry of pain.

"Maddie!" Jack yelled in concern, going to her side, while Vlad looked ready to rip him apart. Seeing the result, Davis quieted and saw to her.

"I'm sorry, Maddie, but I can't let this thing be used." Davis apologized.

"Then what is going to happen to us if we don't defend ourselves from that ghost?" Jack asked.

"And what will happen if a weapon such as I now have falls into the wrong hands?" Davis retorted. "Guns against guns, bombs against bombs, men against men, missiles against missiles, and now a new super weapon to destroy us all. As a human being, I cannot simply let it happen. I will not be the one to unleash this on the world."

"We aren't giving you a choice!" Vlad exclaimed. "We need that weapon and we're going to use it, with your permission or not."

"Think again, Masters…or should I say Plasmius?" Davis glared. Vlad's eyes widened in surprise. Jack and Maddie looked in his direction, the latter rapidly recovering from her head wound. They gasped when Davis took out a gun, but pointed it not at them, but at himself. "If I have to, I will kill myself to make sure the formula for this weapon stays a secret!"

"Davis, don't do this, please." Maddie pleaded with him. "You've got to help us."

"All I ever wanted to do was to help make the world a better place. I sacrificed everything to do so, and I'm not about to let you unleash something that can end it all. I came to you two because you were the only ones that still cared about me."

"There are others." Jack insisted. "Your life still means something!"

"Don't make me laugh, Jack." Davis sneered. "My parents are dead, Brenda's gone, I look like a freak of nature and now the only people I ever trusted are telling me to betray my principals.

"I spent over a year protecting others in Afghanistan. I faced danger every day, every minute, not knowing when I would literally be fighting for my life! One day, on a routine patrol, my vehicle was hit by an IED. I escaped a fatal blow, but my body was burned. We fought them off, and I saw one of them that was still alive. I looked into his eyes with hate, and finished him! And I was proud of it!

"You hear people complaining in the media about everything we do, saying we should hold back if there is even the slightest chance that a civilian will be hurt. I'm judged based on the actions of a few, and none of them truly understands what it is like. They condemn us when we make mistakes, when we don't give into their every demand. We treat them far better than they deserve! We don't torture them, we give them food, water, even the Koran, and they deserve nothing. Someone on the outside hears what I say and they are quick to brand me as a monster. We are fighting an enemy that plays by no rules, and I would say god help anyone that falls into their hands, if I still believed in him.

"Justice, not revenge, huh? Even after thousands of innocent people are dead in an attack even more vicious than Pearl Harbor, there are still too many that peace is the only solution. Even Neville Chamberlain eventually learned that there are people that cannot be negotiated with in the end; he learned force is the only way to deal with such people.

"That we should simply give up and pretend it ever happened… I promise that if you put them in the situation I was, they would change their self-righteous minds very quickly…or die. It wouldn't be any great loss. No, we cannot simply say 'peace in our time' and try to negotiate or treat it as a criminal matter. Even at a very young age, I learned that bullies cannot be dealt with by simply walking away. That depicts weakness and they jump on it. You fight back, you strike. That is how you ensure peace.

"You know why I told myself it was worth it? The death, the carnage, the screams, the constant fear that today my be your last day? Because I knew that the people I was facing would gladly shoot down Danny or Jasmine looking straight at them and have no guilt whatsoever; I give you New York City as evidence of that. I was not going to let them, not when I could do something to stop it.

"I was told I didn't have the right personality for the military, and looking back, those people were right. The first time I shot someone down, I was sick for a week. Even though he was trying to kill me, I still feel regret. But after a while, you stop thinking. It's either you or him, and he won't feel any of the conflicting emotions you start out with.

"I still have nightmares about someone I had to kill. We were under fire, one of my buddies wounded, and I took him down. He was only 9 years old and my shot took a long time to kill him. Every night, I still hear his cries. Many of us have stories like this; they use children as weapons, as shields! There are no words to describe some of what I saw!

"After I was wounded, I was honorably discharged and looked forward to seeing my fiancé. She told me she had found someone else while I was away, and they were now together. I felt like killing myself right there. I was hoping to be somewhere where I had someone to support me, someone that loved me, but she was gone.

"I poured myself into my father's work, and after he died, I continued it. I was working on a solution to our energy problem and discovered a terrible weapon: the power of a nuclear device without the danger of fallout. I was horrified by this secret, because of what I could now do.

"There's a part of me this wants to use this device on those bastards, to see them all perish! After what they did to my friends and my country, a big part of me believes it's no less than they deserve. I want revenge on them, and on everyone because of what this fucking world did to me! This is the reason why I can't use this weapon, even for this. It's why I came to you two, the last people I knew that might still care. No one deserves what the destroyer will do, but I'm afraid of my own inner darkness. I have to keep it in check, now more than ever. This weapon could put an end to everything we hold dear.

"Even if I destroy my research, the secret is still inside my head. As long as I'm around, how do I know that I won't be forced to make this weapon? It's stuck inside me head and I can't get rid of it!"

"Then you have a terrible choice to make, Davis." Jack looked at him. "You have your fears, which might become reality, and you have our current menace, which is reality."

"The choice is yours and yours alone." Maddie added. Davis groaned, burying his face in his hands, pulling his hair in frustration and conflict.

"Perhaps this will persuade you, Seriza." Vlad stated, turning on the television.

"Attention! Attention, citizens of the United States!" Exclaimed the reporter. "A worldwide prayer is currently being held for the victims of devastated Amity." It switched to a view of the devastation in downtown Amity. Fires were raging, people were screaming, rubble was blocking most of the roads. One person was half buried in concrete and no one was able to get him out.

Then it showed one of the many makeshift hospitals in Amity. Injured and dying people were lying there by the thousands, giving what comfort they could to one another. It showed overworked doctors and untrained volunteers bombarded by family members, trying to get help for them. One of the images was a young woman with her left leg gone, cradling her badly burned child while her husband put his arms around both of them. The next was a doctor looking at one of the injured and shaking his head sadly.

Afterwards, it turned to a massive candlelight vigil in Times Square. All of them were singing and crying together. It turned to various areas around the United States, and then a large crowd near Big Ben in London. Then the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

"Enough, enough!" Davis cried out. "I'll do it; I'll use the device. It's still very primitive and I was hoping for a chance to learn more, but you're right. However, this is the only one I will let the ectoplasmic destroyer be used." He turned to his notes on the weapon and slowly destroyed them, building resolve to what he had to do.

Vlad, however, knew more than he was saying. He knew more about what was going on in the world than the mainstream media was showing. In response to the attacks, the insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan were encouraged by the devastation, and believed it to be a sign of imminent victory. It was likely to be the deadliest month they had faced since the beginning of the war. Not only overseas, but in America as well. Reports of attacks by angry mobs of citizens were starting to leak out.

_This is our last chance to stop this ghost from destroying our country. _Vlad thought to himself. _Will it succeed?_

Okay, just one chapter left before the story is finished. It looks like writing shorter novels seems to work better for me than longer ones.


	6. One Last Chance

Ok, there have been some concerns that this story is promoting Islamophobia, despite the fact that I have mentioned repeatedly that this is not the face.

As for Sam's reaction in the last chapter, she's went through a severe shock. She watched Amity Park destroyed overnight, her best friend is in a makeshift hospital and for hours, she was fearing for his life. It's easy to judge, but if you were in that situation, you don't know how you'd feel, unless you were actually in it.

Jazz wrapped a tourniquet around one of her classmates leg. Thankfully, they were able to stop the bleeding. _Sigh, I don't know how much more of this I can take. I couldn't just let people die when I could do something about it. _She walked around, seeing people everywhere. Jazz found a place where it was relatively comfortable and sat down, her hands covering her face.

"Jazz, are you okay?" Sam asked, kneeling beside her. "Maybe we should take a rest."

"Sam, I can't do that." Jazz responded. "People are depending on me. What am I even doing here? I need to go back out and…"

"Jazz, stay there. You aren't going to be of any good to anyone if you keep running yourself ragged like this. I know; I'm still worried about Danny."

"How is he? I haven't been able to find him."

"He's asleep right now; the doctors think he'll pull through. I suppose his ghost powers help out with that."

"Still hard to believe anyone would be vicious enough to be willing to do something like this. I try to remember that a ghost is responsible for this, no matter what he looked like, but… it's not easy."

"I know, and I'm supposed to be the tolerant one. However, I'm glad that no Islamics are near me, because I want to deck them. God, I sound like a horrible person."

"You're a human being, Sam. Just remember to think logically. I try, but you have to focus hard, at least for a while. I've already treated some Muslim patients, or at least that would be my best guess, and they are also some of the volunteers helping out. Just a couple, I think, since we don't have many Middle Eastern immigrants in Amity. Not that it means much, but religion isn't something I know much about. Believe me, there are people who do a lot more than you."

"You mean, there have been assaults?"

"Several so far; one guy was beaten almost to death. People aren't thinking very clearly. They've had to put armed guards around the area to make sure no one gets killed."

"Any idea what happened?"

"Well, apparently this guy was trying to bring in his brother or father, something like that. A few people jumped him about halfway there. Rumors are everywhere, so I'm not sure what is true and what isn't, but apparently he's from India. Believe me, you're not alone; I think the whole country is in a shock right now."

"You know, I was originally against going into Afghanistan. I felt the president was just using Islamophobia to further his own political agenda. We could have just sent him a few groups of special forces, wiped out the terrorists and went home, or just treat it as a criminal investigation because using violence to solve violence doesn't solve anything. Seeing all this, seeing what people have suffered with my own eyes, well…I'm starting to rethink that."

"Sam, I'm not going to tell you what to believe or what to think. You have to make that choice on your own. I don't agree with you on everything, but I'm not going to preach. It's why I never tell anyone my political views; either you or Tucker will talk me to death, saying why I'm wrong." She gives a genuine smile, the first of the day. She hugged Sam gently, pulling her close.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

"Okay, the main problem we have is how to get the ectoplasmic destroyer within range of this ghost." Vlad stated. "If he sees us, we're screwed. How do we get near him?" They were currently in his lab in Amity Park. It wasn't as advanced as the one in his mansion, but was more than sufficient for detection.

"Well, we don't know observant he is, so we could sneak in, place the weapon there, and get away before he sees anyone." Jack suggested.

"But how can we do that?" Maddie asked. "We don't even know where he is at the moment. We need to know where he is before we can even think of using this."

"My best guess would be the ghost zone, at least for now." Vlad observed. "Course, that raises other difficulties."

"Hey, how about we make the scanners as least sensitive as we can, so we won't be confused when we search for him?" Jack smiled. "There are many ghosts out there, so we need sensitive scanners when we go in there normally, but this ghost is so powerful, he'd set them off from miles away."

"He does make an excellent point." Vlad said in surprise. "When the GIW came back, they said that his power made the instruments malfunction. If they are very insensitive, they'll still be able to find him in spite of that."

"You're still forgetting that we need to find him first before any of this." Maddie pointed out. "If we desensitize the scanners, we may not see him until he's close and then it'll be too late."

"So do you have any better ideas?" Vlad snapped. He never thought he would snap at Maddie, but the current situation had taken a lot out of him.

"There's not going to be any easy solution." Maddie admitted. "We may have to simply take the chance."

"And if we fail? There is only one ecto-destroyer and there won't be another one for some time." Jack pointed out. "Still, nothing else has worked against him."

"Uh, Jack, you might want to take a look at this." Vlad declared, pointing to the scanner on his computer. There was a large blip on the edge of the scanner. "I think we're going to have problems sooner than we thought."

"Guys, I have bad news!" Davis exclaimed. "There are reports of savage anti-muslim riots in New York and Chicago. Several have already been killed and the toll is expected to rise."

"You can always count on human stupidity." Vlad rolled his eyes. "Don't they realize that this is likely going to push them right into the terrorists hands?"

"In a way, Amity's destruction has helped us." Seriza pointed out. "I've been paying attention to the news and it looks like we're getting more cooperation than we had. Before, there was a climate of fear and among some, a belief that you should not talk to outsiders. Now, though…they're starting to see what terrorism means for them."

"Good; our government has been too cowardly to root them out." Vlad shook his head. "They care more about political power than American lives. This ideology is a poison and the longer it spreads, the more people will be affected. Take a young man, indoctrinate him and with nothing to counter it, you've got a new army to deal with. Why not counter their ideology with our own? Find the ones who preach this kind of hate, watch them, and if we find connections, strike.

"Obviously, it's not that simple, but better than either president has come up with. Whenever someone proposes it, the witch-hunters go on the attack. They don't care about the consequences; all they want is to get their name in the papers. Muslims who don't share the terrorists ideals have no one to turn to because we simply pander to them. When politicians have to choose between what is right and what is easy, they choose the latter. There are exceptions, but those are the ones we read about in history books 100 years after their death.

"You can criticize our government, at least for now, you can criticize any other religion, but Islam is above it. Any mention of them in a less than perfect light and you're labeled 'Islamophobic'. This is America, not Venezuela! Hell, if anyone heard me, I'd be considered guilty of unrepentant bashing of Muslims or something along those lines. We can smash any enemy, but God help us against our own people!

"We need to unite, to understand that we are fighting a real enemy and to unite against them! How can we win when we're still unwilling to understand that? There are people who want us to fail, either because they think the U.S. is evil or because they believe it'll be to their political advantage.

"We aren't attacked when we're seen as strong, but when we're seen as weak. Japan attacked us when they saw us as cowardly, decadent, unwilling to stand up, and the terrorists that hit us 8 years ago saw us the same way. We can't afford to appear that way. I suggest protecting the innocent, and taking down the terrorists using any means necessary. I'm fond of the saying: 'speak softly, but carry a big stick'. If we restrain ourselves like we have been doing, it's going to cost more lives, and more money. I am far from perfect, but I love this country and do not want to see more people slaughtered."

"Maybe you should start standing on a soapbox." Davis smirked. His somber mood quickly returned though. "Okay, everything is in place. All we need to do is find him. And Vlad, things really aren't that simple; it's going to be tougher than that."

"Still makes more sense than what either of our presidents have come with. We can't fight with one hand behind our back, which is what political correctness has done to us. Yes, I know most Muslims are not extremists, but the ones that are just have to yell and threaten others to get them to follow or at least not interfere. What do most people know about Islam anyway? Saying it's a religion of peace or nothing but fanatics demonstrates a lack of thought. The truth is far more complex. If you want to…"

"The specter speeder was destroyed." Maddie mentioned before Vlad could go on another tirade. "We were lucky to get out there."

"I have vehicles that can explore the area." Vlad reassured. "As long as the ecto-destroyer is ready, we can go almost right this minute. I've taken the trouble to round up what's left of the military and GIW from the attack."

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Jack exclaimed, dragging Vlad alongside him.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Danny groaned as he woke up, remembering everything that had happened. No one paid him any particular notice, since he was one of thousands who were wounded. However, he couldn't find any of his friends or family.

"Hey, Danny, how are you holding up?" Tucker asked.

"I'll live; what about you?" Danny responded.

"Sigh, my dad died just a few minutes ago." Tucker bowed his head, trying to keep from crying. "My mom…they had to amputate her leg, but they think she'll pull through. God, why did this have to happen to us?"

"I have no idea; I'm sorry, Tucker. I should have been able to stop him."

"No, it's not your fault. You fought as best you could, risking your life to save others. What more could be asked of you? It's his fault, and those fucking terrorists! And our president thinks they should be read their rights?! We ought to line those bastards up and gut-shoot every last one of them! Burn them alive, crucify them; that wouldn't even begin to be what they deserve!"

"Are you doing any better, Danny?" Sam asked.

"A little bit." Danny admitted. "I'm not healing very fast, though, and I'm still in a lot of pain." _Probably because I drained my powers pretty thoroughly out there. I can barely even use them, even though it's been a few days. _He didn't worry about anyone overhearing. There was a lot of background noise and most people were too concerned about their loved ones to care about anything else. "Where's Jazz?"

"She was holding some little boy who had lost his parents and siblings." Sam sighed. "The really frightening thing is that compared to a lot of people, we're pretty lucky. The death toll is currently estimated to be between 40,000 and 50,000. That's about a fifth of Amity's population."

"Lucky?" Tucker screamed at the top of his lungs. "My dad's dead, my mom's lost a leg, Danny's laying on the ground badly hurt, and you call that luck?! Forgive me, but I don't feel too lucky, you stupid bitch!!"

Sam was about to unleash a vicious tirade when Tucker broke down, crying. He rolled himself into a ball and sobbed. Sam put her head on his shoulder, not really knowing what to do. Danny groaned and managed to pull himself beside his friend, watching and feeling helpless.

"Sigh, I don't know what we're going to do." Danny declared. "It's one thing to know in theory what something like this is like, but to actually experience it…there are no words."

"I know, and it's not just the attack itself." Sam replied. "I heard that someone tried to rape Paulina. I don't like that preppy bitch, but no one deserves to go through something like that." Tucker had calmed down somewhat, although tears were still going down his eyes.

"I'm sorry, guys." he said. "I shouldn't have lost control like that."

"Look, I can forgive you, especially since I've said a lot worse the past few days." Sam informed. "This really complicates my view of the world, or at least what it was."

Danny forced himself onto his feet. "I better see what I can do for others." He managed to get about two steps before he started screaming in agony.

"You aren't going anywhere." Sam ordered sternly. "Besides, it's not something I think you can handle. I helped for a little while, and I'm going to be having nightmares about it for a long time."

Jazz walked toward them and hugged her brother gently. "I'm going to take a break for while." She stated. "We're finally getting some decent supplies in, so I haven't had to work as hard lately. How are you doing, Danny?"

"I'm getting there." He responded. "My ribs have mainly healed, but my leg in still in bad shape. Errgh, I hate being confined here."

"Sigh, I just wish this was a nightmare I could wake up from." Tucker groaned. "Just stay here, please."

"We're not going anywhere, Tucker." Jazz promised.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Unfortunately, it took several days for the attack to get underway. Vlad had to deal with the bureaucracy, since no one would authorize that kind of move, worrying about their political careers. They sugarcoated it, but that was what it meant. Finally, after much persuading, and after Indianapolis was destroyed, the President had finally authorized the action.

At the moment, Vlad, Maddie, Jack, and Davis were traveling through the ghost zone searching for the nation's ultimate enemy. Accompanying them were what remained of the GIW. They had moved out in force, with everything they had. It gave a false sense of security, since if their enemy attacked first, it would still be heard to even scratch him with what they had. For the most part, they had stayed silent. "I hope we can sneak there without him noticing." Davis worried. "It takes time to activate this device."

"It could be worse; no ghosts have tried attacking us." Jack pointed out. There were two reasons why they had not: they did not want to fight the kind of force currently searching the ghost zone, or they had a good idea of why they were there.

"All right, he should be fairly close by now." Vlad declared, monitoring the scanners. They were on the largest ship, with around 30 personnel onboard. Nonetheless, they could be destroyed in a single hit from this ghost. "We can't get close to him, so someone will have to go out there alone in order to plant the device."

"I'll go out there." Davis volunteered.

"Not a chance!" Jack exclaimed. "You have no experience with this sort of thing, and I refuse to let you go out there without it!"

"I am the only one who knows how to use this device correctly!"

"Just tell me how to use it and I'll go out there!"

"What if something goes wrong? I know every last part of this device; it'd take too long to give you a crash course on how to use this thing!"

"Enough, both of you!" Vlad cut in before Jack could reply. "Jack, go with him to make sure he doesn't run into trouble." Oddly enough, he didn't hope that Jack would be killed, or not very much, anyway. Amity's destruction had delivered a severe blow to even his hatred. Davis stormed away, not looking at any of them.

"So what's up with him?" Jack asked. "I was just trying to look out for him."

"He…probably feels like I betrayed his trust when I told you about the weapon." Maddie bowed her head.

"You didn't have a choice, Maddie." Vlad replied, hugging her. She wanted to elbow Vlad in the gut for it, but didn't have the emotional strength to do it. "You saw what the results of these attacks were and you couldn't simply walk away. I'm sure he'll be able to forgive you when all this is over."

"I hope so, but I think that's the only way he was able to truly show that he cared about me: by trusting me, and I broke that. I know I had to do it, but it still isn't easy. "

"Mr. Mayor, we found him." exclaimed one of the GIW. "This is as close as we can get without drawing attention to ourselves, but we've got suits to take whoever goes out there close enough."

"I am here in the ghost zone, where a desperate attempt is being made to destroy our current enemy." Declared a reporter that managed to sneak onboard. By the time they realized he was there, it was too late to turn back, although they were far from happy about it. They were especially unhappy about Vlad's scathing comments about their lack of security. "A special team of ghost hunters are getting ready to use the only ectoplasmic destroyer currently in existence. This device was invented by the young scientist and solider, Davis Seriza. Mr. Seriza, do you think this device will be effective?"

Davis simply stared at him, saying nothing. He noticed the small camera recording everything that was going on around him, and simply held his gaze. "Mr. Seriza, how long ago did you create this invention and why did you not inform the scientific community? Was it because you were still unsure about whether or not it would work? Where there still things you had to perfect?" Still he stayed silent

"Come on, Davis, get your suit on." Jack exclaimed. "Here, let me give you a hand."

"Mr. Fenton, wait!" The reporter exclaimed. "Mr. Seriza, I have information that you had served in Iraq and Afghanistan before moving to Amity Park. Tell me: what were your experiences over there?"

"There are no words to describe it, and I'm not going to bother trying." Davis replied, speaking up for the first time. "Come on, Jack, I could use your help."

"There you have it, folks! Davis Seriza, inventor of the ectoplasmic destroyer, is now going outside with Jack Fenton, idiot ghost hunter. This creature has been unstoppable so far. All modern weaponry has proved useless! This weapon is our last chance! Will it be enough to save our nation from the deadly foe it now faces?"

"Maybe we should have pitched him out the ship." Vlad muttered as the reporter continued to broadcast. "How stupid can these people be, letting him inside?" Jack finally managed to get Davis inside the suit. They walked slowly to the exit, since it weighed over 50 pounds and opened the door. They slowly sped out, with the whole world watching and waiting. Before Davis left, he whispered some things in Vlad's ear. He talked too quietly to be overheard and Vlad wasn't about to tell anyone what his words were.

"I hope nothing happens to them." Maddie gulped. "I always worry about Jack when he goes ghost hunting. I try not to, but I can't help myself. There's no glory or adventure in it; it's a very dangerous job." To her, it was even worse that Danny was out there risking his life every day. True, he could face ghosts on their terms, but still, ever since he came out with his secret, they had been even more protective than before.

"I'm sure Daniel understands why you aren't there right now." Vlad tried to reassure. "he's a compassionate young man." _Too compassionate for his own good. Most likely, part of them wants his parents there beside him and feels selfish because of it. I admire him for it, but he doesn't understand that there are many people who will take advantage of his kindness. _"Maddie, I can probably find another suit if you want me to…"

"No, Vlad, stay here. The man I love and another old friend are already risking their lives out there. I don't want to lose you as well."

Meanwhile, Jack and Davis were slowly approaching the ghost. Every second seemed like an eternity and both were terrified that they would be stopped and their last hope gone. They moved closer and closer, their hearts pounding, not daring to speak.

Finally, they got to where they needed to be. The ghost noticed nothing out of the ordinary and was simply floating around. Jack and Davis moved even closer, the latter holding the ectoplasmic destroyer as if it was made of glass. "Look, when I set this, we've got about three minutes to get away before it goes off. The second I start it, move as fast as you can. I only hope that those people are far enough away from the blast."

"I'm not leaving without you." Jack replied. "I came here to make sure nothing happens to you, ok?"

"Fine, Jack, but be quiet." He floated slowly to a rock near the ghost. Upon looking at him, Davis noted he was almost…peaceful. If he didn't know better, he would have never imagined this ghost had killed 100,000 people. He set the device down and pressed various buttons, muttering to himself. "Move, jack; I'll be there in a second!"

"Nope, you're coming with me." He dragged Davis along at full speed, despite his protests. So far, the ghost noticed nothing out of the ordinary. There were several flashes of energy. The ghost turned around and saw the fleet nearby.

He moved to approach them when the ectoplasmic destroyer activated. It was a giant ball of energy that trapped the ghost inside. He screamed silently, while everyone watched, praying this would work. When the energy dissipated, they all waited anxiously to see the results.

They gasped in horror when they saw the ghost still floating there, not moving. He gave out one last agonizing scream and vaporized. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, applauding. "Ladies and gentleman, the ghost is dead." the reporter declared. "Let us give thanks and hope for the strength to rebuild our nation."

Davis refused to talk, rushing past everybody. "I'm glad we finally put an end to this." Maddie smiled. "Let's hope this tragedy will not be so easily forgotten." Before anyone could reply, they heard a loud gunshot. Jack, Maddie, Vlad, and the others rushed to the source.

They found Davis on the ground, with a gun in his hand. He had decided to take his own life. Everyone around saluted him and bowed their heads in mourning.

"He didn't want his secret to be known to the world." Jack sighed. "I wish I could have stopped him, but…we could have gotten him some help. We could have been there for him."

_He told me to forget my hatred and to mend my friendship with Jack._ Vlad thought. _This is what he had planned all along. I just wish it didn't have to be this way. _"The destruction of the Twin Towers was not enough to wake us up to the evil in this world; perhaps this will be." He muttered quietly.

X X X X X X X X X X

Well, that's the end of a very dark, grim story of my twisted mind. Vlad's muttering at the end is essentially the whole message of the story. We really are facing an enemy and it seems like too many people don't realize that.

I got the idea for this story when I watched the original "Gojira" made in 1954, known to most people as Godzilla. In the original, he is not a lovable icon, but a terrible force of destruction meant to symbolize the horrors of nuclear warfare. My characters are meant to symbolize the horror of terrorism and the consequences of war, which is why I put Seriza in the story.

It does seem to me that too many people have forgotten about the September 11th attacks or see it as just something out of a history book. Not me; I watched it happen 8 years ago and the images are still in my mind. I can only imagine how terrible it is for the ones who went through it first hand.

This is unique in my stories because the violence in this one is not meant to be entertaining. It was meant to stun and horrify and apparently did its job pretty well. I wanted to focus on the victims of the attack, rather than the devastation itself.

As for the criticisms that I'm attacking Muslims…well, when dealing with a controversial issue, I suppose that kind of thing is unavoidable. I was trying to show the human consequences, like with people being beaten up and hated for who they are, the fierce debate in the mayor's office.

And the criticism I endured is similar to what Gojira had when it first came out. Some thought it was anti-American because of the message against the nuclear arms race. (which the movie actually refers to, and I was trying to do the same)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the novel. September 11th and its aftermath should never be forgotten, but it seems like too many have. This story is meant to serve as a reminder. Thanks for reading!


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